Trust Me
by MissyMo2005
Summary: When a new doctor arrives at Holby ED, Ethan and Cal quickly discover she's hiding a dangerous secret. Will they be able to convince her to accept their help before it's too late? (Warning, this story contains some domestic violence.)
1. Chapter 1

_I'd just like to warn anyone who is about to read this story that it does contain some domestic violence It's not particularly graphic but if it's likely to upset you then please don't read any further._

_Also, a special thank you to Jinxy13112 for reading this and encouraging me to post it._

_Enjoy._

* * *

><p>"Well isn't this just brilliant." Amy muttered, rushing towards the entrance of Holby City Emergency Department. She was late for work on her first day, not even a little bit late. A full hour and a half. She was going to get fired from this job quicker than she had the last, that would have to be a new record.<p>

Pushing her way through the people crowding the reception area she ran straight in to someone, knocking a pile of papers out of his hand. "Sorry." She mumbled quickly, bending down to pick them up and nearly banging heads with him.

"Don't worry about it." He smiled, straightening up and taking the papers she offered him. "Cal Knight." He introduced himself, holding out a hand to her.

"Amy Steel." She told him, quickly shaking his hand. "I don't suppose you could point me in the direction of Mrs Beauchamp?"

A look of recognition lit up his face. "Ah, you must be our new doctor!"

Amy nodded. "And I'm very, very late." She muttered, feeling her cheeks flush.

Cal laughed quietly. "Luckily for you, Mrs Beauchamp is in a meeting so she'll never have to know." He winked at her. "The staff room is over there, get changed and I'll give you the tour."

"That would be great, thanks." She said, rushing off to change in to her scrubs.

* * *

><p>Ten minutes later she appeared next to Cal who was staring at the computer. "Right then!" He said dramatically. "The grand tour!"<p>

Amy shook her head. "I think I'll just get started straight away actually if you don't mind? I can figure everything out as I go along."

"Oh, okay. Sure, good luck." Cal said with a forced smile. She could've sworn she saw a look of disappointment flicker across his face but she didn't have long to dwell on it.

"You must be the new doctor?" She didn't even get a chance to answer before a patients notes were thrust at her. "Broken nose, cubicle 4. Oh, I'm Rita by the way." The nurse said before rushing off in the other direction.

"Nice to meet you too." Amy muttered sarcastically, turning her attention to the patients notes. "Sorry, could you point me in the direction of cubicle 4?" Asked the blonde doctor who had just appeared beside there.

"Just over there." He smiled, pointing her in the right direction.

"Thanks so much. I'm Amy." She told him, holding out her hand.

"Ethan." He told her with a smile, shaking her hand quickly before turning his attention back to the computer in front of him.

* * *

><p>"Okay then, Mr Smyth." Amy said, straightening up and pulling off her gloves. "It's not broken, just badly bruised. It will be swollen for a while but should heal just fine on its own. You're free to go." She told the man sat on the bed.<p>

He shook his head angrily. "I'm telling you it's broken! I want a second opinion!"

"Mr Smyth, I can tell you, having been to medical school, that your nose is most certainly not broken and you will not be wasting another doctors time in order for them to tell you exactly what I have just told you. Please gather your belongings and leave so that I can get on with seeing other patients." She said calmly.

"Listen you!" The man stood up from the bed, towering over Amy's petite figure. "I said I want a second opinion!" He shoved her backwards in to the wall- Amy letting out a quiet yelp of pain as her head connected with the wall.

"What is going on in here?" The curtain was flung open to reveal Cal and another female doctor she hadn't met looking at the scene in front of them with concern.

"Step away from Doctor-" the woman hesitated realising she didn't actually know the doctors name.

"Steel." Amy added quietly as Mr Smyth slowly stepped backwards, releasing his hold on her shoulder.

"Right- you, out!" She watched as the woman dragged her patient out of the cubicle.

"Are you okay?" Cal asked her, bending down to meet her blue eyes.

Amy nodded, her heart still pounding in her chest. "I'm fine, thanks for your help." She forced a smile, pushing herself of the wall.

"Wait your bleeding." Cal told her, catching her arm as she went to walk past him as he saw the blood seeping through her blonde hair.

Amy brought her hand up to the back of her head, wincing as she felt the cut on the back of her head. "It's fine." She told him, wanting to get back to work.

"Sit." Cal ordered, pushing her towards the bed.

"It's fine!" She protested, trying to ignore the blood she could feel seeping from her scalp.

"Have you got eyes in the back of your head?" He asked her sarcastically, his fingers gently parting her hair so he could get a better look at the injury.

"I suppose you think you're hillari- ouch!" She hissed.

"Sorry." Cal said quickly. "How did you do this? This isn't from today." He asked as he inspected the wound. "You've just reopened it."

Amy sighed. These were exactly the questions she'd been hoping to avoid. "Hit it on a cupboard." She said flatly. "I'm still getting used to where everything is in my new place." The words sounded ridiculously false to her own ears, then again that was probably because she knew they weren't the truth.

The quiet laugh that escaped from Cal suggested he'd bought her lies- at least for the moment. "Okay then, you're all good to go." He told her pulling off his gloves. "If you could try and avoid hitting it on any more cupboards though then that would be great." He joked as they walked out of the cubicle.

"I'll try." She agreed flatly, heading off in search of her next patient.

"Are you okay?" She was stopped in her tracks on her way to her next patient by the woman who'd dragged Mr Smyth out. "Zoe Hanna." The older woman smiled at her.

"Amy Steel. I'm fine, no harm done. If you'll excuse me…" She flashed a quick smile to the other woman before hurrying off.

Zoe raised an eyebrow, walking over to Cal who was leaning against the desk. "Do me a favour and keep an eye on her?" She asked him as she reached past him to get her patients notes.

Cal nodded. "With pleasure." He muttered under his breath as he watched Amy explain something to her patient.

Zoe whacked him with a file. "Cal!" She sighed, shaking her head as she walked away. "Leave the poor girl alone, the last thing we need is you scaring her off!"

* * *

><p>Amy couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of relief when her first shift finally came to an end. Thankfully the rest of the day had passed without incident. She quickly changed out of her scrubs before shoving everything in to her bag and dashing towards the exit.<p>

"Hey! Amy!" She stopped in her tracks as she heard a voice calling her name. She turned around to find a group of the ED staff coming towards her.

"Doctor Knight." She greeted him wearily as he reached her.

"Call me Cal." He smiled. "Guys, this is our new doctor Amy Steel for those of you who haven't met her." He announced to his colleagues. "You joining us for a drink?" He asked, turning back to Amy.

She shook her head. "No, I can't." She said quickly, her mind working frantically to try and come up with a better excuse.

"Come on, we insist!" Zoe smiled at her. "In celebration of you surviving your first day!"

Amy hesitated. "I don't know, I really should get going."

"Come on! Just one drink." Cal smiled, grabbing her arm and pulling her along as the rest of the group began to move towards the pub.

Amy tried to ignore the pain in her arm as his fingers put pressure on the bruise on her forearm she'd been trying to keep covered all day. "Fine." She muttered, trying her best to summon some enthusiasm. "I'm not going to run you know, you can let go of me." She told Cal.

He quickly released her arm, his cheeks flushing slightly. "Sorry." He smiled. "So then, have you met my brother?" He asked her as Ethan appeared the other side of him.

"Wait, you two are brothers?" She asked him, confused. "I never would've guessed."

Ethan laughed. "What's that supposed to mean?" Cal asked as he pushed open the door to the pub. "I'm not sure if I should be offended!"

Amy laughed, much more genuinely this time. "I'll leave you to try and figure that out." She teased as they approached the bar. "White wine please." She told the bar tender, handing him her money before following her new colleagues over to a table in the corner where she was finally properly introduced to everyone.

* * *

><p>"Right then!" Amy said, draining the last of her wine half an hour later. "I'd better get going, I'll see you all tomorrow." She smiled, grabbing her coat and making a dash for the door before anyone could try to persuade her to stay longer. She was already going to be home an hour later than she'd said she would be. She'd be in enough trouble as it was without any more delays. Pulling her coat up against the cold she walked quickly down the street, trying to remember exactly which street it was that led to her new home.<p>

Ten minutes later she found herself outside the familiar looking blue front door, having managed to find her way home relatively easily apart from a couple of wrong turns. "I'm home!" She called as she stepped through the front door, the rush of warm air welcoming her as she took off her coat.

"What took you so long?" She heard a voice call from the living room.

Stepping in to the room she found her fiancée sprawled out on the sofa, staring at the tv- exactly where she'd left him that morning. "I was running late." She told him, picking up the plates and empty glasses from the coffee table in front of him.

"Why didn't you call me?!" He snapped, grabbing hold of her arm as she attempted to walk past him, causing her to drop one of the glasses which promptly smashed as it hit the floor.

"My phone was out of battery." Amy lied, trying to pull her arm free from his vice like grip.

"Don't give me that crap!" He yelled, releasing her arm and shoving her backwards roughly, catching her off balance and sending her stumbling back across the room.

Taking a deep breath to calm herself Amy stepped forwards, heading towards the kitchen. Dumping the plates in to the sink she moved in to the door way. "I'm going to bed Sam." She called through to him. "I'm starting early in the morning." She turned and headed for the stairs without waiting for a response from him. With a little bit of luck he'd pass out drunk on the sofa again and she wouldn't have to deal with him.

Before climbing in to bed she set her alarm for a full two hours earlier than it needed to be. She couldn't afford to be late for work, she'd been so lucky that Mrs Beauchamp hadn't been there that morning. From what she'd heard from the other doctors the Clinical Lead wouldn't hesitate to fire her and she certainly couldn't afford to lose another job.


	2. Chapter 2

The alarm clock blared in Amy's ears far too early the next morning. She'd had a restless night, tossing and turning in her bed unable to sleep. She yawned and stretched, fingers coming in to contact with the cold and empty sheets beside her. Sam hadn't come up to bed that night. Then again that wasn't exactly surprising. It was becoming more and more of a regular occurrence lately, if she was honest she didn't really mind- things were probably easier that way.

After showering and getting dressed she crept down the stairs, cringing as the bottom step creaked. The last thing she wanted to do was wake Sam, that would ruin any chance she might actually have of getting to work on time. Creeping through the kitchen she peered in to the living room, sighing in relief as she saw he was out cold, an empty bottle of vodka clutched to his chest as though it were his life line.

Seeing the glass she'd dropped the night before shimmering on the floor she decided to clean it up quickly before she left. The last thing she needed was for Sam to injure himself on it and turn up in the ED. She quickly picked up the larger shards of glass, putting them in to a plastic bag before sweeping up the smaller fragments. Tying the bag in a knot, she pulled on her coat and grabbed her bag- casting one last look back at her sleeping fiancee- before hurrying out the door.

She'd just reached the bin, the bag of broken glass in her hand, when she heard someone shout her name. "Amy!"

She whipped around to see Cal and Ethan coming down the street towards her.

"Shit." She muttered under her breath as they approached, turning to the living room window to see if there was any sign of movement in there. Thankfully there wasn't. "Hi Guys." She greeted them, forcing a smile. She suddenly became painfully aware that her hand was clenched tightly around the bag full of broken glass. She quickly released the bag, dropping it in to the bin and shoving her hand in to her pocket before turning back to face them.

"So this is where you live!" Cal grinned as he reached her. "We are like three doors down from you!"

"When he says 'we' he means me." Ethan interjected. "Don't forget you're going to view that flat today Cal."

Amy wandered along behind them as they bickered about their living arrangements, not really paying attention to their conversation. As they neared the ED her phone started ringing loudly, causing the two brothers to turn at stare at her. Pulling the phone out of her pocket she grimaced as she saw the caller ID- Sam. Hitting ignore she returned the phone to her pocket, flashing the two doctors the false smile she wore so well. "Telemarketing calls." She lied.

"What happened to your hand?" Ethan asked as they crossed the car park and made their way to the entrance.

Amy pulled her hand out of her coat pocket, turning it over and staring at the cut on her palm with surprise. She hadn't even noticed the injury properly until Ethan had said something. "I smashed a glass this morning- must have cut my hand while I was clearing it up." She explained, taking a tissue from her other pocket and dabbing at the blood as they walked past reception and in to the staff room.

"Y'know, I think you might actually be more clumsy than Lofty!" Cal joked as they reached their lockers.

"If only that were true!" Lofty sighed, coming in to the staff room behind them and holding up his grazed hands. "Got knocked off my bike on my way in."

Cal and Ethan both laughed as Lofty went over to his locker, Amy giving the young nurse a sympathetic look as she gathered her stethoscope and clipped on her name tag.

"Is something amusing?" A voice cut sharply through the laughter, silencing it almost immediately. "Doctor Steel, I'm Mrs Beauchamp the clinical lead. Apologies for not being here to meet you yesterday."

"Nice to meet you." Amy smiled, but her boss had already moved on.

"Doctor Knight, with me now." She ordered, striding out of the room with Cal hot on her heels.

"I've got to admit, she scares me a little." Amy told Ethan.

He laughed, shaking his head. "Don't worry, I pretty sure almost everyone around here is terrified by Connie. You'll get used to get soon enough." He reassured her, closing his locker door and turning to face her. "Come on, I'll clean your hand up for you quickly before we start. Stay right here, I won't be a moment."

He was gone before Amy had a chance to protest, suddenly reappearing a few moments later with some supplies. "This really isn't necessary." She protested as Ethan sat down opposite her. "It's just a scratch."

"You sound like Cal." He joked, holding his hand out. Eventually Amy held her hand out to him, rolling her eyes. "It won't need stitches. I'll just clean it up and put a dressing on it for you." He told her, rolling her sleeve up a little.

"I can do that myself y'know." She told him, quickly yanking her sleeve back down to cover the angry purple bruise on her wrist.

Ethan frowned. "What happened to your wrist?" He asked, starting to gently clean the cut on her hand.

"It's nothing." Amy told him, avoiding his questioning gaze.

"Are you sure?" He asked her, sticking the dressing on to her hand. "Because it looks like a hand print to me."

"I said it's nothing, not that it's any of your business." She replied icily, snatching her hand free of his grasp and heading for the door leaving Ethan staring at the doorway in confusion.

* * *

><p>The rest of the shift passed by in a blur for Amy. Between trying desperately to avoid Ethan and being over run with patients she suddenly found herself with only an hour left to go on her shift.<p>

"That's a nasty break!" Cal's voice frightened the life out of her as he suddenly appeared behind her as she was studying her patients X-rays. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." He apologised quickly, taking in her startled expression.

Amy didn't get a chance to reply, her phone ringing loudly in her pocket for what felt like the thousandth time that day. She pulled it out of her pocket and sighed subconsciously as she read Sam's name on the screen. "I'm working. Whatever it is can wait." She snapped down the phone, hanging up again quickly before Sam had a chance to retaliate. She was fairly certain she'd regret speaking to him like that once she got home but it was too late to take it back. Besides, she'd become something of an expert at dealing with Sam's temper during the last six years with him.

"Everything okay?" Cal asked her as she turned back to the X-ray.

She'd almost forgotten he was standing right next to her. "Absolutely fricking fantastic." She said sarcastically. Turning and disappearing in to the cubicle to deliver the bad news to her patient.

* * *

><p>"Amy!" She turned around from her locker to find Ethan stood behind her.<p>

Suppressing a groan of annoyance she turned to face him. "Yes Doctor Hardy?" She said coldly.

"Look, Amy." Ethan said hesitantly, approaching her. "I just wanted to say that whatever is going on in your private life is none of my business but if you ever wanted someone to talk to, I'm more than happy to listen."

Amy couldn't help but feel awful about being so mean to him, he was only trying to help. "Thanks Ethan, but everything is fine- honestly." She smiled, winding her scarf around her neck as she prepared herself to head out in to the cold winter night.

Ethan opened his locker, hesitating as he tried to find the right words. "If you're sure. The offer still stands though Amy- even if you just want to vent about how much of an ass Cal is." He joked.

Amy laughed. "I still can't believe you two are actually related."

Ethan shook his head. "Neither can I most of the time." He laughed. "Why don't you wait a few minutes and we can walk home together? Cal shouldn't be long."

Amy was about to politely decline, but changed her mind. It would be nice to have some company for a change. "That would be nice." She smiled, sitting down on the sofa to wait for Cal.

* * *

><p>Twenty minutes later they turned on to their street, the three of them laughing about some of the ridiculous injuries they'd treated that day. The happiness Amy had been feeling was abruptly squashed as they walked down the street and approached her house. The front door was open, Sam leaning drunkenly in the doorway.<p>

"Amy! Where the hell have you been?!" He yelled, his words slurring together as he staggered down the steps towards them.

"See you tomorrow." She said quickly, rushing up the steps and grabbing hold of Sam before he could fall. "Come on, let's get you inside." She said, pushing him back through the door and slamming it closed behind them.

Ethan and Cal were left standing at the bottom of the steps, staring at each other in confusion. "Who the hell was that guy?" Cal asked his brother as they continued walking down the street after a brief pause.

Ethan shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine."

"Do you think we should go back and check she's okay?" Cal asked, turning around and staring back down the street in the direction of Amy's house.

Ethan shook his head. "She's perfectly capable of looking after herself Cal, if she wanted our help she would've asked for it." He told his brother as he unlocked their front door.

* * *

><p>"Who were those guys?" Sam slurred, pushing Amy up against the wall.<p>

She could smell the alcohol on his breath as he towered over her. "They're just people from work Sam." She told him calmly. "Why don't you go and sit down and I'll make us some tea?" She suggested.

"Are you cheating on me?!" He demanded, shoving her back roughly as she attempted to step past him.

"Of course not! You know I'd never do that." She answered him, her heart pounding in her chest. She'd been stupid to walk home with Ethan and Cal. How had she not seen this coming? She'd been in this situation enough times before.

Sam's grip on her shoulder tightened. "You'd better not be lying to me, because if I find out otherwise..." He left the threat hanging in the air as he released her, staggering off in to the kitchen, no doubt in search of another drink.

Amy rested her head back against the wall, taking a few minutes to try and calm herself down and fight back the tears that were threatening to fall from her eyes. She rubbed gently at her shoulder, trying to soothe the throbbing pain that suggested there would almost certainly be another handprint shaped bruise there in the morning.


	3. Chapter 3

"So this is where you've been hiding!" Amy flinched as Ethan suddenly appeared behind her. "I hadn't seen you for nearly two weeks- I was starting to think Cal had scared you away." He teased.

Amy shook her head as she scraped her hair back in to a pony tail. "They were short staffed on the night shift and Connie asked if I'd do it." She explained. "What are you doing here anyway?" She asked him, the question sounding like more of an accusation.

"Connie called me too, someone called in sick so I'm covering." He explained, following her out of the staff room. "Well actually, she called Cal and he very kindly volunteered me to do it instead."

Amy laughed. "That sounds like something he'd do!"

"He'll be kicking himself when he finds out you were here. He's been trying to get hold of you all week." Ethan told her.

"Oh, my phones broken." Amy told him, studying the board to see which patients needed to be seen first. It wasn't a total lie, her phone was broken now thanks to Sam. He hadn't been happy when he'd seen all her missed calls from Cal. He'd thrown it at her and when it missed her head it had smashed against the wall.

"So it has nothing to do with you not wanting to talk about what happened the other day?" Ethan asked. "Who was that guy anyway?"

"I can't do this Ethan, not now." She said coldly, walking out to reception to find her patient.

* * *

><p>By the time 1am came around Amy was seriously flagging, the copious amount of caffeine she'd consumed doing next to nothing to help her. She'd spent the entire day at home fighting with Sam while she should've been sleeping. As a result she was running on the two hours sleep she'd managed to grab in an on call room before her shift started and she was really starting to feel it.<p>

"Peace offering?" Ethan suggested, holding out a coffee as he leant against the desk next to her. "No offence but you look like you could use it."

"Wow, thanks! You really know how to compliment a woman." She laughed taking the coffee from him.

Ethan laughed. "Yeah well, Cal's always been the one who's successful with the ladies not me."

Amy rolled her eyes. "Some how that doesn't surprise me at all. Thanks for this though. I really needed it."

"Didn't get much sleep during the day then?" He asked, taking a sip of his coffee.

Amy shook her head. "Nope, I think my body is at least 90% caffeine right now."

Ethan laughed. "You should try living with Cal! I swear he couldn't make more noise if he tried!"

"I can imagine!" Amy laughed. "Sam's never really been good at being quiet while I'm sleeping either." She mused quietly.

"Is Sam the guy who was at your door?" Ethan asked, suddenly making her aware of what she'd said.

"Yeah..." She answered reluctantly, wondering what she could tell him that would stop him from asking too many questions. "My fiancée." She added so quietly Ethan hardly heard her.

"You kept that quiet." Ethan said, wondering if he should ask about him or if she'd just shut him out.

Amy shrugged. "It's not really relevant to my job."

"True." Ethan agreed as Amy stared in to space, doing anything to avoid making eye contact with him.

"He's not usually like that, he'd just had too much to drink." She said eventually. She wanted to laugh as she said the words, it was such a lie. The drinking was a relatively new thing but the violence wasn't.

"If you ever need someone to vent too-" Ethan started, but was interrupted by a call for help from a nearby cubicle.

He and Amy raced over to find Lofty and Robyn wrestling with a very angry and incredibly drunk man. "Sir, you need to calm down now!" Amy instructed as they struggled to restrain the man. "You're not going anywhere until you sober up!"

The next thing she knew she was doubled over in pain as the man landed a solid kick in her ribs. "Amy? Are you okay?" Ethan called over to her as he struggled to help lofty with the patient.

"Mmm... Yep... Just give me a minute." Amy told him, straightening up slowly.

"Robyn, can you call the police. He can sober up in a cell and they can deal with him if he's going to be like this. Get security in here too." Ethan called, Robyn disappearing to make the necessary phone calls.

* * *

><p>"Will you just sit down and let me look at that for you?" Ethan protested, following Amy in the direction of the staff room.<p>

"What is your obsession with trying to treat me? I'm a doctor not a patient." She snapped. "I'm fine!"

"I might have believed you if you hadn't winced as you sat down." Ethan said, walking over and sitting down next to her.

"Just don't Ethan, okay. Just don't." Amy said quietly, blinking back the tears that welled in her eyes. As much as she hated to admit it her ribs were incredibly painful, but it had very little to do with the fact the patient had kicked her and much more to do with Sam.

"Just let me have a quick look, we might need to X-ray them." Ethan said, his hands reaching for the hem of her scrubs. When she made no move to stop him he rolled the top up, trying to keep his face neutral as he took in the colourful array of bruises that covered her pale skin.

"Ouch." Amy hissed as Ethan pressed gently against her ribs.

"I don't think their broken, just bruised." Ethan said eventually, Amy yanking her scrub top back down to cover herself. "You should go home and take it easy though."

"I'm fine." She sighed, leaning back against the sofa.

"Are you really Amy?" Ethan asked, the tone of his voice suggesting he wasn't just asking about her ribs.

"Don't Ethan, please. You can't tell anyone. Please, promise me?" She pleaded, wiping a stray tear that was running down her cheek.

Ethan shifted uncomfortably. "Amy, if this is what I think it is then-"

"You don't know anything about me or my situation." She snapped, getting up quickly despite the pain it caused her. "Just keep your mouth shut. This is none of your business. I'm dealing with it."

Ethan held his hands up in surrender. "Okay, okay! Just sit down and take it easy for a bit? There's nothing out there we can't handle."

Amy nodded, sitting back down. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell at you." She smiled apologetically.

Ethan gave her a sympathetic smile as he reached the door. "I get it. Just know that I'm here if you need me- no questions asked. Anyway, get some rest. I'll come and get you if we need you." He said, walking out and closing the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Cal yelled, leaning over Amy's sleeping form.<p>

Amy suddenly sat bolt upright, remembering where she was, only to gasp in pain as her ribs protested. "Crap, what time is it?!" She demanded, jumping to her feet.

"Relax." Cal laughed, putting a hand on her shoulder. "It's only 5.30, sorry I didn't mean to freak you out."

Amy smacked him. "I hate you." She muttered. "Wait, why are you here this early? You have a worse track record than me for being late?"

Cal pretended to be offended. "Ethan called me and said you weren't feeling well so I came in to help them out."

Amy nodded. "He should've just woken me up, he didn't need to drag you out of bed."

Cal shrugged. "I don't mind, how are the ribs anyway? Want me to take a look? I swear you're actually unluckier than lofty- how do you always manage to get the violent ones?"

"Hands off you perv!" Amy laughed as Cal reached for the bottom of her scrub top, swatting his hands away. "My ribs are perfectly fine, I don't need you poking at them! And to be fair, lofty was there too, maybe that was the problem!"

Cal laughed, his face quickly turning more serious. "You're sure you're okay though?"

"Who do you think you are? My mother? I'm fine!" Amy exclaimed, walking back out in to the ED which was eerily quiet.

"Feeling better?" Ethan asked as he approached them.

Amy nodded. "You should've come and got me- you didn't need to wake your brother up."

"It's okay, you looked like you could use the sleep. Besides, I wanted to drag Cal out of bed as revenge for him keeping me awake all day!" Ethan laughed.

"Quit complaining, I wasn't that loud! It's not my fault that you're a ridiculously light sleeper." Cal retorted.

Amy's phone ringing cut through the laughter. "I thought your phone was broken?" Ethan asked as she pulled it out of her pocket.

"Replacement." She mouthed as she answered the phone. "Hello?"

"Where are you?!" Sam slurred from the other end of the phone.

"I'm at work, I told you I was doing the night shift remember?" She said calmly. She knew he wouldn't remember the conversation, he'd been so drunk at the time he would've had trouble remembering his own name.

"Well when are you coming home?" He demanded.

"I've got a few hours left on my shift then I'll be straight home, promise." She sighed, thinking of the fun and games that would be in store for her when she got home if he was still that drunk.

'You'd better be." He said angrily before hanging up.

"Everything okay?" Cal asked as she walked back over to them, Ethan shooting her a concerned glance.

"It's fine." Amy replied quietly, avoiding Ethan's gaze. "I'd better get back to work." She said, walking away quickly.

Ethan caught up with her just as she made it to resus to check on the patients. "Amy, look if there's anything I can do to help-" he started.

"Just stay out of it Ethan!" She whispered angrily. "You have no idea what is going on and I don't need you sticking your nose in where it is not wanted. Understood?"

"Okay..." Ethan agreed warily, rather taken aback by the tone of her voice. He cast one last glance in her direction before hastily retreating


	4. Chapter 4

"Are you going to tell me what happened between you two?" Cal asked his brother curiously.

"What? Who?" Ethan asked in confusion not looking up from his patients notes.

"You and Amy! She's been glaring at you as if she wants to kill you for the last two weeks. I saw you two arguing in resus on that night shift and she's hardly spoken to you since then! If you tell me what happened I'll leave you alone to get on with your work!" Cal laughed as his brother shot him a look of frustration.

"Nothing happened Cal, can you just drop it. Please?" Ethan replied wearily, his brothers constant questioning was really beginning to get on his nerves and they were only an hour in to their shift.

"You've never been a good liar, why don't you just save us both the hassle and tell me now?" Cal pushed.

"Do you not have patients to treat, or even someone else you can annoy?" Ethan snapped, walking back to the cubicle to see his patient. Cal was right, Amy was definitely avoiding him. She'd been leaving earlier and earlier for work so they had no chance of catching her up, he'd offered to help her with a patient earlier and she'd gone off to ask for Zoe's help instead. Every time he tried to talk to her she'd make an excuse and leave as quickly as possible. It was frustrating him, he just wanted to make sure she was okay, but she appeared to have decided he couldn't be trusted.

* * *

><p>"Has anyone seen Doctor Steel?" Zoe asked coming back through from reception.<p>

"I haven't seen her all day. She must be here somewhere though because Ethan was looking for her too." Cal replied.

"I can't find her anywhere!" Zoe complained. "Can you have a quick look for me if you've got five minutes?" She asked, rifling through a stack of papers trying to find the report she was looking for.

"Sure." Cal agreed, wandering out in to reception. "Noel, have you seen Doctor Steel?" He asked the receptionist.

"She went outside a little while ago, I don't think I've seen her come back in." Noel replied.

"Cheers mate!" Cal called, already half way to the door. As he stepped out in to the freezing cold winter air he spotted Amy to his left, pacing back and forth angrily on the phone.

"No, I can't just come and get you!" She snapped down the phone as Cal hesitantly approached. "No! I had to sell my car to pay the rent after you spent my entire pay check in the bookies or has that slipped your mind?!"

Cal smiled at her awkwardly as she spun around to face him, her face flushing bright red. "I don't have time for this. Sort it out on your own for once in your life." She hissed down the phone. "Yeah well, I feel that same way about you too!" She yelled hanging up the phone and shoving it back in to her pocket.

"Sorry. Bad timing?" Cal asked awkwardly. "Zoe was looking for you."

"I just need a minute." Amy choked out, staring in the opposite direction to Cal as she frantically tried to blink back the tears that were welling in her eyes. Now her anger had vanished Sam's words were starting to hit her properly. She had no idea why it still upset her- it wasn't anything he hadn't screamed at her a hundred times before.

Cal took a step closer to her as she blinked furiously. "Hey, whatever it is I'm sure it'll be okay." He said soothingly, putting an arm around her and pulling her towards him. He thought for a moment she was going to fight him off, but she buried her head in his chest and allowed the tears to flow as he held her tightly.

"I wish I could believe you." She whispered as she took a couple of deep breaths in an attempt to regain control of her emotions.

"Do you want to tell me what happened? Maybe I can help." Cal suggested.

Amy quickly shook her head, stepping backwards out of his arms. "You're better off not knowing Cal, trust me... I-I'd better go see what Zoe wants me for." She said quickly, hurrying back in to the ED.

* * *

><p>Amy rushed out of the ED the second her shift was over, reaching her house in record time while trying to work out what on earth she was going to do about Sam. He'd managed to get himself arrested- again- and had been taken to a police station on the other side of Holby. He'd called her, expecting her to drop everything and go and pick him up just as she'd done so many other times. The big difference being that they no longer had a car for her to go and pick him up in. She'd been forced to sell it in order to put down a deposit on the house they were renting after Sam had gambled away an entire month of her wages from her last job.<p>

She was so preoccupied as she walked through the front door that she didn't even notice him standing there at first. "S-Sam.." She stammered as she turned to hang her coat up and found him standing just inches away from her. "How did you get home?"

"Someone dropped me back here- no thanks to you!" He snarled, stepping towards her.

Amy took a step back, glancing around the hallway looking for some kind of exit strategy. He was furious, she could see it in his eyes, and she knew it wouldn't end well. "Sam-" she pleaded.

"You- my own fiancee- just left me there! Too busy flirting with those doctors to care about me! If only they knew what you were really like hey? I bet they'd look at you differently then!" He sneered at her, raising his hand and slapping her hard, the noise seeming to echo around the house.

Amy watched him, waiting for the next blow to come, her eyes wandering past him to the stairs and wondering if she could make a run for it. It probably wouldn't work, but it was the best of a lot of bad options at that moment in time. She stopped listening to whatever Sam had moved on to yelling about, counting down in her head. _Three, two, one. Go._

She shoved him hard, the surprise causing him to stumble back slightly, but not nearly as far as she'd hoped. She'd only reached the second step when he grabbed told of her leg, hauling her back down the stairs. She cried out in pain as she fell, her head hitting the stairs and her arm being trapped underneath her body at a painful angle.

* * *

><p>The next thing she was aware of was the cold, hard floor of their hallway against her face and the metallic taste of blood in her mouth. She listened carefully for any sign of Sam, tentatively opening her eyes after hearing the house in absolute silence.<p>

She pushed herself upright, fighting back a scream of pain as every single part of her body protested. Using the railings on the stairs to haul herself upright she stumbled over to the front door, unlocking it and silently leaving. She had no idea if Sam was still in the house or if he'd gone off in search of a drink- she wasn't going to risk him hearing her if he was still there. She was not ready for round two.

She wasn't really sure how she ended up there, but she found herself staring at Ethan and Cal's front door. She raised her hand to knock, hesitating as she wondered how she was going to explain this to them. She hadn't had a chance to look at her face but she was fairly certain it was a mess. Realising she had no other options, unless she counted going back home, knocked on the door.

There was a brief pause before the door swung open. "Amy?" Cal said in surprise as he opened the door. She was the last person he'd been expecting to find on the other side of the door.

"Sorry, we're you expecting someone? I can go..." She felt herself blush, the embarrassment starting to set in.

Cal quickly shook his head. "No, come in!" He stepped to the side to allow her in. "What happened?" He asked, looking at her face. Her left eye was swollen and starting to bruise, her forehead grazed and her nose bleeding slightly."

"I... Um..." She mumbled, unsure of what to say. Usually the lies she told to cover up her various injuries came so easily- the words tumbling out of her mouth without her having to even think about it.

"Okay, just come and sit down." Cal said, gently guiding her through to the living room. He sat down on the sofa beside her as she stared at the wall ahead, blinking furiously in an attempt to keep the tears at bay. "You're allowed to cry if you want, no judgement here." He added quietly, seeing her bottom lip quiver with the effort of suppressing her tears.

A quiet laugh slipped from Amy's lips, quickly turning in to tears as the emotion she'd been holding back for so long overcame her. Cal stayed silent, putting his arm around her in an attempt to try and comfort her. "It's going to be okay. I promise." He said soothingly as she sobbed against his shoulder.

Eventually Amy got a handle on her emotions, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and sitting up awkwardly. "Sorry." She mumbled. "That's twice in one day I've done that now."

"You don't have anything to apologise for. Are you ready to tell me what happened?" He asked. He felt Amy tense beside him as he spoke. "You don't have to, I just thought-" he trailed off as Amy opened her mouth to speak.

"I.. I wouldn't know where to start." She muttered under her breath, more to herself than Cal.

"The beginning maybe?" He suggested.

"Trust me, there isn't enough time in the world." Amy sighed, trying to decide what to tell him.

"I can make time.. You know me, always up for a reason to miss work!" He joked.

Amy rolled her eyes. "Are you ever serious?"

Cal laughed. "Occasionally... I meant it though, take as long as you need. I'm happy to listen."

"You're not going to give up are you?" She sighed.

"Probably not." Cal laughed. "You should ask Ethan, I have a history of being annoyingly persistent."

"I don't doubt it for a second... You don't need to be though, I'm fine. Nothing to worry about." She forced a smile.

"Has anyone ever told you you're a rubbish liar?"

"What is it going to take to shut you up?" Amy sighed. "Have I mentioned that I definitely like Ethan more than you? He's far less annoying. Where is he anyway?"

"I'm hurt!" Cal joked. "He's doing a double shift apparently." He added more seriously."Anyway, stop trying to change the subject."

Amy took a deep breath, staring down at her hands. "I'm just sick and tired of having to pick up the pieces." She told him quietly. "No matter what I do, it's never enough. Nothing's ever good enough for him." She quickly wiped at her eyes.

"This is Sam right? Your fiancee?"Cal asked. "How long have you been together?"

There was a long pause, during which Cal started to wonder if he'd said the wrong thing. "Nearly seven years now." She whispered. "He's a good man Cal, I know what you're probably thinking but you're wrong. He loves me. He's all I have."

Cal bit back his initial response, not wanting to start a fight with her, choosing to remain silent instead. "He did this to you?" He asked eventually, his voice sounded strangely calm to his own ears in comparison with his emotions but the undertone of anger was still clearly audible.

Amy watched as he subconsciously clenched his fists. She could feel the fear rising in the pit of her stomach. It was irrational, Cal would never hurt her, but the fear was still there. She took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself. She looked down at her hands which were trembling slightly.

"Amy?" Cal's voice was much more gentle this time, snapping her back in to the real world. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I just need a minute." She told him, taking another deep breath to try and calm herself. "Maybe I should go."

Cal shook his head quickly. "No, you don't have to do that. It's freezing out there. I'll shut up, I promise. You don't have to tell me anything else unless you want to."

She nodded reluctantly, realising she had nowhere else to go. That was the exact reason she found herself going back to Sam time and time again. He was all she had. "Are you sure Ethan won't mind?" She asked, suddenly remembering this wasn't technically even Cal's house.

"I'm sure." He reassured her, smiling as she rested her head against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for dragging you in to this." She mumbled sleepily, the fact it was nearly 2am starting to catch up with her.

"You've got nothing to apologise for." He replied, putting an arm around her as her breathing evened out and she drifted off to sleep.


	5. Chapter 5

"Oh come on Cal!" Ethan complained as he walked in to the living room. His brother was sitting in the sofa and he could clearly see a women's legs hanging from the other end. "What did I say about you bringing random women back here?!"

"Shh!" Cal hissed, turning around to glare at his brother. "It's not what you think." He glanced down at Amy who was still sleeping soundly, her head resting in his lap. Carefully he slid off the sofa, trying not to wake her before grabbing Ethan's arm and hauling him in to the kitchen.

"What happened? Please tell me you didn't? She's engaged Cal!" Ethan whispered angrily as he realised who the woman was.

"Do you really think that little of me?" Cal asked, more than a little offended at his brothers assumptions. "Look at her Ethan!" He gestured to where Amy was sleeping on the sofa.

Ethan turned back to the sofa, noticing for the first time Amy's bruised and swollen face. "I'm sorry, I just assumed with your track record... Did she say what happened?" He asked, turning back to his brother.

Cal shook his head. "She turned up on the doorstep around midnight... I tried to ask but she just kept changing the subject." He sighed. "Do you think it's something to do with the fiancee?"

Ethan leant back against the kitchen counter. "You can't start making accusations like that Cal... You can't get involved- if she wants your help she'll ask for it. You picking a fight with him is only going to make it worse for her."

"How are we supposed to just let her walk out of here and go back to him?" Cal asked, clenching his fists tightly as his anger rose.

"Cal." Ethan said seriously. "Promise me you aren't going to do anything stupid?"

Cal didn't get a chance to answer, their attention being drawn to the sound of Amy yawning as she started to wake.

The first thing she was aware of when she woke was a nauseating headache, then the sudden realisation that she wasn't in her own home. As she sat up she caught sight of Cal and Ethan who were both watching her closely from the door way. She felt her cheeks flush bright red with embarrassment.

"How are you feeling?" Cal asked, sitting down beside her.

Amy shrugged, avoiding his eyes. "I'll be fine, had worse." She immediately regretted her choice of words as she saw Cal clench his jaw. "I didn't mean it like that..."

"I wish I believed you." Cal replied wearily. He'd had next to no sleep, spending the entire night sat on the sofa watching as Amy slept restlessly, as he tried to come up with some kind of plan to stop her going back to Sam.

"Here." Ethan walked in to the room, holding a steaming mug of coffee. "I thought you might want this." He smiled as he passed it to her before sitting on the other sofa. Now he was sitting opposite her he could see the full extent of her injuries- Cal was right, whoever had done this to her had been brutal. Her left eye was swollen and turning a deep purple colour, there was a large graze on her forehead and her lip was split and those were only the injuries he could see. He dreaded to think of the multitude of injuries her clothes were probably covering.

"Thanks." She said, forcing a smile. She could feel them both scrutinising her as she sat there. "I'm sorry about just turning up like this, I'll be out of your hair soon I promise." She added quickly taking a sip of her drink.

"Don't be silly." Ethan quickly disagreed with her. "You're more than welcome to stay as long as you like. You can keep Cal company, I'll be headed to bed soon anyway- I'm exhausted!"

"Rough shift?" Amy asked, relieved to be able to shift the focus of the conversation away from herself.

Ethan groaned. "It was an absolute nightmare! Half of the staff are out of action with that virus that's going around. It was just non stop all night! That's the last time I'm agreeing to do a double."

Amy laughed. "Good luck with that, you know Connie will end up persuading you to do it!"

"Maybe I'll just volunteer Cal... Repay the favour." Ethan joked. "When are you due in next?" He asked her.

"Tomorrow morning." Amy said after a brief pause as she tried to remember.

"Me too." Cal and Ethan both said at the same time.

"Well, I'm going to go and get some sleep I think." Ethan said after a few moments silence, shooting a pointed look at his brother as he made his way to the door.

"I'll get out of your hair." Amy said quickly, standing up.

Ethan quickly shook his head. "No, stay, honestly it's fine! Maybe you can remind Cal to be quiet enough that I'll actually get some sleep." Ethan smiled as he edged closer to the door.

"I don't want to intrude, I'm sure you had plans for your day off." She said to Cal who quickly shook his head.

"My only plans for the day were to watch some mind numbingly boring day time television and probably irritate my brother!" He joked.

"Good, that's settled then." Ethan said quickly, leaving the room before Amy had time to protest.

"Honestly, you don't have to do this." She protested as she reluctantly sat back down next to Cal. "You must have had other plans, some ridiculously attractive woman waiting for you somewhere."

Cal laughed, leaning over to pick up the tv remote. "I hate to disappoint you, but I don't really live up to my reputation... At least not anymore."

Amy rolled her eyes. "I'm not sure if I believe you... Rita warned me about you when I first started."

His laughter quickly stopped. "What did she tell you?"

Amy shook her head. "I couldn't possibly tell you!"

Cal pulled a face and muttered something under his breath that she didn't quite catch. She was about to ask him to repeat it when her phone started ringing loudly. It took her a second to realise what the noise was before she started searching for it frantically, Cal eventually pulling it out of the back of the sofa and handing it to her.

As she'd expected, it was Sam- which probably meant he'd woken up sober enough to remember what he'd done to her the night before and panicked when he couldn't find her.

"Are you going to answer that?" Cal prompted after a few seconds, as he watched her staring at the phone as it continued to ring.

Amy shook her head, hitting the decline button before putting the phone down on the coffee table. "It can wait."

"You know, you never did tell me how you ended up on my doorstep in the middle of the night looking like you'd just taken on Mike Tyson."

Amy sighed, she'd been waiting for him to bring it up again. "You're not going to just leave it are you?" Cal shook his head. "I got in a fight with Sam, that's who I was yelling at on the phone at work. He got arrested again yesterday and he called me just expecting me to drop everything and drive to the other side of bloody Holby to go and get him! Only we don't have a car anymore because I had to sell it to pay the rent, so I just told him to sort it out himself... He was there when I got home and he was so angry... He thinks I'm cheating on him again."

"Again?" Cal repeated.

She shook her head. "I've never cheated on him, although I might as well have done because he never believes me when I tell him."

"So what happened when you got home?" Cal asked hesitantly, he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

"He was yelling at me, then he... He hit me. I panicked, he was so angry. I shoved him back and tried to run upstairs to get away from him but he caught me and pulled me back down... I don't remember much after that." She told him, her voice barely a whisper. "I woke up on the floor a few hours later and I didn't know what to do... And that's how I ended up on your doorstep."

There was a brief pause as Cal tried to remember why going around to Amy's house and giving her fiancee a taste of his own medicine wasn't a good idea. "You were knocked out? Probably would've been a good idea if you'd mentioned that to me y'know." He said eventually.

"If I'd told you then you would've taken me to the hospital."

"Of course I would've done!" Cal answered. "I'd take you there now if I thought there was any chance of you letting me..."

Amy quickly shook her head. "You can't tell anyone about this either Cal, promise me!"

"How is anyone supposed to help you Amy if they don't have a clue what's going on?" He asked her.

"Who said I wanted their help?"

"You can't carry on like this Amy, he's going to end up killing you!" He pleaded, hoping she'd see sense. The thought of her going back to that man made him feel sick to his stomach.

"Don't you think I've thought about that Cal?" She snapped. "Do you not think that may have crossed my mind when I ended up in hospital with internal bleeding after he pushed me down the stairs?"

"I'm sorry." Cal said quietly. "I didn't mean it like that."

"I know you're only trying to help Cal, but you don't know the full story. I know you'll never believe me when I say this, but Sam's a good man. Somewhere underneath all this is the man I fell in love with and that is the reason I put up with all this- because I'm optimistic enough to believe he can change for some stupid reason." She fought back a fresh wave of tears, her voice trembling slightly as she spoke.

Her phone rang loudly from the coffee table before Cal had a chance to say anything. "Hello?... No, I had to go to work... I don't know, they're really short staffed because of this virus... I said I don't know, I'll call you when I'm on my way." She hung up quickly, tossing the phone back on to the table.

"That being said, I don't think I'm quite ready to deal with him right now... I need some time to work out what I'm going to do" She said turning back to Cal. "Do you mind if I just stay here for a bit longer?"

"Not at all." Cal smiled, handing her the tv remote. "Take as long as you need."

* * *

><p>"Amy?" Ethan shook her gently to wake her up.<p>

Her eyes flew open and she quickly sat upright. "Oh my god I'm so sorry, what time is it?"

"It's fine." Ethan smiled. "It's 6am, we are all due in to work at eight."

"Crap!" Amy muttered, jumping up off the sofa and grabbing her phone. 28 missed calls from Sam. "Well that's just brilliant." She muttered under her breath, trying to work out what she was going to do. If she went home to get ready for work Sam was guaranteed to start a huge fight, she could tell from the texts and missed calls he was seriously angry.

"You can just get ready here and I'll drive in?" Ethan's voice snapped her out of her internal panicking.

"I... I can't go in like this!" She said, catching sight of her reflection in the mirror.

"I'm sure no one will notice." Ethan reassured her, although he somehow doubted that no one in the ED would notice Amy turning up for work with a black eye.

Amy gave him a doubtful look as her phone started ringing again. "As much as I'd like to believe you, I don't." She told him, hitting the ignore button on her phone.

* * *

><p>"Do I detect a walk of shame?" Robyn asked loudly as Amy shuffled in to the staff room rather awkwardly, hiding behind Cal and Ethan.<p>

"Oh, no tell me you didn't Amy!" Rita laughed. "I warned you about him!"

Amy ignored them both, reaching in to her locker and grabbing her make up bag and scrubs before making a dash for the toilets.

Robyn looked at Cal curiously, but he shot her a look that stopped her un her tracks. "Not a word to anyone. Okay?" He said to Robyn and Rita who both nodded quickly before exchanging looks of confusion.

A few moments later Amy reappeared having changed in to her scrubs and covered the bruises on her face as well as she could. She shoved her clothes in to her locker, ignoring the curious looks from Robyn and Rita, before rushing out to get to work before Connie could accuse her of being late. The last thing she needed was to get in trouble with her boss on top of everything else.

* * *

><p>"Cal, have you seen Amy?" Louise asked as he walked past reception.<p>

"Um... She's in cubicles I think. Anything I can help you with?" He asked.

Louise shook her head. "That guy over there is demanding to see her. He won't give me his name but he's pretty angry and he stinks of booze."

Cal glanced over his shoulder to see Sam sitting in the reception area. "Call security." He told Louise. "Ethan." He waved his brother over as he walked past. "We've got a problem. Amy's fiancee is here."

Ethan slowly looked around the waiting room, catching sight of Sam in the corner. "Did you call security?" He asked Louise who nodded. "Does she know he's here?"

Cal shook his head. "I don't know what he wants but Louise says he seems pretty angry."

"What are you two whispering about?" Amy asked, suddenly appearing beside them.

Cal and Ethan exchanged a panicked glance but it was too late. "Amy!" They heard Sam yell as he staggered drunkenly towards them.

Amy felt her blood run cold as she heard his voice, she'd know that drunken slur anywhere. "What are you doing here?" She hissed, grabbing him by the elbow and hauling him towards the doors. She could feel her colleagues staring at her curiously.

"You know why I'm here." Sam snapped as she pushed him out of the doors. "Get your hands off me!"

"Don't do this Sam, not here. Please." Amy begged, pulling him away from the doors in an attempt to prevent everyone from hearing them.

"You didn't come home! What did you expect?!" He snarled, grabbing her by the arm. "Where were you?!"

"I told you I was working!" Amy told him quickly, gasping in pain as he twisted her arm around behind her.

"Stop lying to me!" He yelled, his grip on her wrist tightening. "I came here looking for you! I saw you come in this morning!"

"Get your hands off her!" She saw Cal come running towards them, Ethan following a little more hesitantly behind him.

"Just leave it Cal, please." Amy begged. "This is nothing to do with you."

"I said, get your hands off her." Cal repeated, stepping closer.

Sam laughed sarcastically. "Excuse me?" His hold on Amy's arm was suddenly released as he took a swing at Cal.

"You heard me." Cal replied angrily, ducking as Sam took another swing at him- two security guards suddenly appearing and grabbing hold of Sam.

"Are you okay?" Cal asked, turning back to Amy as Sam, was dragged off by the security guards still shouting angrily.

"What part of none of your business do you not understand?!" Amy shrieked at him, not quite believing what had just happened.

"He was only trying to help." Ethan quickly interjected.

"I don't need your help!" She yelled. " Just stay away from me. Both of you!" She yelled over her shoulder, walking back towards the ED before she ended up hitting Cal herself.


	6. Chapter 6

"What did I say to you?!" Ethan asked his brother angrily as they made their way back towards the ED. "Don't get involved unless she asks for your help! What part of that was too difficult for you to understand?"

"What did you want me to do? Just stand there and let him hurt her?" Cal whispered furiously, conscious of the fact that everyone was staring at them.

"Is everything okay?" Rita asked as they walked past her.

"Yeah… Um everything's fine." Ethan said rather unconvincingly. "Have you seen Amy?"

Rita shook her head. "Not for an hour or so. Sorry."

"Okay, thanks Rita." Ethan said, turning back to Cal. "We need to find her. Can you think where she might have gone?"

Cal shook his head. "She could be anywhere. You don't think she would've gone after him do you?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Ethan shrugged. "I'm going to go and check the staff room. Why don't you go and have a quick look outside in case she's still out there. Call me if you find her." Cal nodded in agreement, hurrying off in the opposite direction to his brother.

* * *

><p>Amy was wandering aimlessly, not really knowing what to do with herself. A part of her was furious with Cal for getting involved; the rest of her knew he hadn't intended to cause her any more problems when he'd interfered. He'd only been trying to help, but in reality he'd achieved the complete opposite.<p>

She'd ended up sat on a bench outside the hospital, tucked away in a corner somewhere hoping no one would notice her. She'd contemplated going to the pub and getting drunk enough to forget what had happened, but that was much more Sam's style than hers. She couldn't even bring herself to go back inside and get her things, even though she was absolutely freezing and desperately wished she had her coat on. She couldn't go back in there though, not now. Everyone would know by now, they'd all be giving her that pitying look she hated, as though she was some kind of victim when in reality she'd brought this upon herself. She'd have to leave, start over again somewhere new- that was what she did best. The odds were Connie would fire her after today so at least she wouldn't have to create some kind of reason for leaving.

She couldn't help but feel sad at the prospect. She'd grown to genuinely like it in Holby, actually getting to know her colleagues rather than keeping to herself as she usually did. Then again, that was what had caused the problem in the first place. She should've left the second Cal and Ethan found out what was going on. Now she was going to have to deal with the consequences of her decision to stay.

Her phone was ringing loudly in her pocket; she pulled it out and looked at the screen quickly before turning it off. She'd got a multitude of missed calls from Ethan, Cal and Sam and she couldn't face talking to any of them. Sam was going to beyond angry, something that would probably only get worse the longer she left it, but she just didn't think she had it in her to walk home and deal with him. Not yet at least. Then there was Ethan and Cal, they only wanted to help her, but she already knew exactly what they were going to say- she needed to leave Sam, that he'd go no right to treat her like this and she should go to the police. It was nothing she hadn't heard a thousand times before.

"There you are." She flinched at the sound of Cal's voice behind her snapping her out of her thoughts. "I've been looking everywhere for you." He continued, sitting down beside her.

Amy shrugged. "Did you ever consider maybe I didn't want you to find me?"

"Look, I'm sorry okay? I know I shouldn't have interfered and you asked me not too, but how was I supposed to stand there and let him hurt you?"

"It's not your fault." Amy said wearily, rubbing at her eyes. "It's mine. I never should've shown up on your doorstep that night. I never should've told you about Sam, and if I'm honest I still don't know why I did… Then none of this would've happened."

"You can't seriously think that any of this is down to you? He shouldn't be using you as a punch bag!" Cal said angrily.

Amy cringed away from him slightly as he raised his voice. "Don't, okay. Just don't. You can't pass judgement on me or Sam. You only know half the story, don't try and make him out to be some kind of monster when you're not in possession of all of the facts. It doesn't matter anyway, I'm done." She said quietly, trying to keep her voice steady as she fought to keep a hold of her emotions.

"What do you mean you're done?" Cal asked quickly.

"It means I'm done Cal. It's time to move on, I can't stay here. Not after this." She shook her head. "It's time to move on, start again."

"You can't just run away from this! How does that solve anything?" He argued.

Amy shrugged. "It's what I do best. I've worked in three different hospitals in the past year."

Cal tried to come up with some kind of reason why she couldn't leave, but he couldn't think of anything she might actually listen to. "Just… If you're going to leave here with him and there's nothing I can do to change your mind then can you please just explain why?"

Amy sighed, running her fingers through her hair as she tried to work out what she could tell him. "Because, I've still got that little bit of hope Cal, I still believe that one day Sam is going to become the man I fell in love with again. Every now and then I get a little glimpse of the man he used to be and it makes me remember why I fell in love with him. It reminds me why I put up with all of this. I know you'll never believe me, or understand why I can't leave him and that's fine. I don't expect you to. But you need to know that he wasn't always like this."

"What happened?" Cal's question caught her off guard. She'd been expecting him to argue with her and try and change her mind, not ask for more of an explanation.

"I met him just after I'd finished my training; he worked just across the street from the hospital I was working at. He used to come and bring me coffee on my breaks- we'd sit outside on a little bench just like this one." She smiled at the memory. "He was the sweetest guy I'd ever met- I know you'll never believe me but it's true. Everything was fine, I genuinely believed that we'd get married, have kids and grow old together."

Cal smiled at her encouragingly as she paused.

"His Mum was in a car accident, she got brought in to the ED I was working in. She had a massive internal bleed. I tried so hard Cal, I just… I did everything I could but nothing worked." She wiped at the tears that were streaming from her eyes. "I'll never forget the look on his face when he showed up at the ED and I told him…. He blamed me, even though he knew that I'd done everything I could, he needed to hold someone responsible. I left my shift early and took him home, he was such a mess. He started drinking, just trying to numb the pain I suppose… I came home one night and he was really drunk and he was so angry… I tried to take the bottle away from him and I ended up knocking over this vase his mum had given us when we first moved in together. It smashed all over the floor… He was so angry. I ended up with three broken ribs and a dislocated shoulder." She shuddered at the memory; she could remember it so clearly it was like it was yesterday.

Cal remained silent, waiting for her to continue. "He was so apologetic the next day when he sobered up and took me to the hospital. He promised me it would never happen again- and I believed him. Why wouldn't I?" She shook her head, all the things she'd do differently if she could go back in time. "A few months later he lost his job. He turned up drunk, started a fight with one of his colleagues and they fired him…. I thought maybe if we had a change of scenery things might be easier, I'd been offered a job in Scotland so we moved up there. Things were great for a while; Sam got himself another job… He stopped drinking and I genuinely thought that everything would be okay, that we could just move on and forget about it."

"What changed?" Cal asked, the words slipping out of his mouth before he could stop them.

"The same thing that's happened when he saw me walking home with you and Ethan." She sighed. "He started getting jealous, possessive. He was always demanding to know where I was going, who I was seeing. He started turning up at work to check I was actually working and not sneaking around with someone else. He started drinking again, I started taking more and more shifts just so I didn't have to be around him while he was like that, which only made the situation worse… In the end we moved again, people were asking too many questions. I was going in to work covered in bruises, turning up with all these injuries that I couldn't explain… I found myself another job and just left. It was easier that way… So we started again, and things were okay for a little while….. And then suddenly they weren't. We were fighting again, he pushed me down the stairs and I ended up spending several weeks in hospital and losing a kidney… I was going to leave him, I left the hospital and I was going home to pack my bags and tell him I was done…"

"So why did you stay?" Cal prompted after she went silent.

"I got home, walked in and he was sat there waiting for me. He'd cooked dinner, tidied the house, he was sober…. He was the Sam I'd fallen in love with… and I just couldn't bring myself to do it… So we ended up moving again… and then that went wrong…. Fast forward, and well- here we are I guess." She told him, skimming over the details of the last few months. He didn't need to hear those.

Cal shook his head, trying to collect his thoughts. "You can't just keep moving around the country in the hope that one day things will magically be okay."

"Do you think I don't know that?" She choked out, trying to hold back the sobs that were threatening to overcome her. "Don't you think if I could go back in time and do everything differently I would?" She rubbed at her eyes again, wincing as she rubbed a little too hard at her bruised and swollen eye.

"You can't go back in time and change what happened Amy, but you don't have to let it happen again. Let us help you." Cal pleaded.

Amy shook her head. "Just stay out of it Cal, please. I'm going to go and talk to Connie now." She said standing up. "Give it a few weeks and it'll be like I was never even here." She smiled sadly, turning and walking back towards the ED in search of her boss.


	7. Chapter 7

Amy knocked hesitantly on Connie's office door, feeling her stomach flip as Connie yelled at her to come in. Connie glanced up at Amy as she walked in to the office nervously, closing the door behind her. Even after a few months of working with her Amy was still terrified by Connie. "Doctor Steel, can this wait?" Connie asked, looking back down at her computer. "I really have to get this finished."

Amy shook her head, if she didn't do this now then she never would. "Sorry, it won't take long."

Connie sighed, leaning back in her chair and looking at Amy who was fidgeting nervously. "Go ahead then… What happened to your face?" She asked curiously, noticing the younger doctors bruised eye and smeared make up.

"It's nothing…" Amy said quickly, trying to work out what she was going to tell Connie. She should've just written a letter. "I… um.."

"Oh for god's sake spit it out! I don't have all day!" Connie snapped, growing increasingly impatient.

"Right, sorry." Amy said quickly. "I… I was just coming to tell you that I'm leaving."

"Excuse me?" Connie asked incredulously. "You've only just got here! Would you mind telling me why?"

Amy sighed; she should've known Connie wouldn't be happy. "I know, and I'm sorry. It's for personal reasons that I really don't wish to discuss." She silently prayed Connie wouldn't ask for any more detail.

Connie was quiet for a few moments. "I have to ask, believe me I have no desire to get involved in the lives of my staff, but do these personal reasons go by the name of Caleb Knight, because if that's-"

Amy quickly interrupted. "It's nothing to do with Cal, or anyone in the department. I just need to leave, and I really wish I didn't."

"So there's nothing I can say or do to change your mind?" She asked.

"No, sorry." Amy shook her head. "I hate to come in here and just drop this on you, I've genuinely enjoyed working here but I really have to go."

Connie suppressed a groan of annoyance; this was the last thing she needed. "Right, well if you insist on leaving then there's not much I can do about it really. That being said, as half of the staff are out with this virus I'm going to have to insist you at least stay until the end of the week so I can find someone to cover for you."

Amy nodded in agreement, it wasn't ideal but she could manage another week. "Okay."

* * *

><p>"So what Cal said was true, you're actually leaving?" Ethan asked, catching up with Amy as she made her way out of the ED later that evening.<p>

Amy sighed. "Look, Ethan. I don't know how much of what I said Cal told you but I've made my mind up and you're not going to change it okay? So just don't make this any harder than it already is. Please?" She pleaded,

"Cal didn't tell me anything, he just said you were leaving." Ethan told her. "We're you planning on just sneaking out without saying goodbye?"

"I can't actually leave until Connie finds someone to cover my shifts so you'll be stuck with me for a little longer." She teased.

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Ethan asked. "Everyone around here's really going to miss you."

"I'm sure." Amy told him, her voice wobbling as she attempted not to start crying again. "I'll miss everyone too, but it's the right thing to do for everyone."

"If you're sure it's what you want." Ethan said hesitantly. He was as much against the idea of her leaving Holby as Cal, especially if she was going with her fiancee, but he knew there was nothing that they could do to stop her if that was what she wanted. "Just know that you'll be welcome any time, if you ever need anything I'm only a phone call away."

"Thank you." Amy smiled, pulling him in to a hug. "It means a lot... Can you tell Cal I'm sorry? I should never have dragged either of you in to this."

Ethan shook his head. "You've got nothing to apologise for. Just promise me you won't leave without saying goodbye?"

"Promise." Amy said, pulling away from him. "I'll see you tomorrow."

* * *

><p>"Connie, do you have a minute?" Cal asked, jogging to catch up with his boss as she made her way to the door.<p>

"Mrs Beauchamp." She corrected him. "You have exactly the amount of time it takes for me to walk from here to my car so I suggest you get on with it."

"I just wanted to talk to you about Amy leaving, is there anyway you can persuade her to stay, or even stall her for a little while? You can't just let her leave!" He blurted out.

"Listen Cal, I have spoken to Doctor Steel and she's made her decision. She assures me that her decision to leave has nothing to do with you, but given your current behaviour I'm finding that increasingly hard to believe. If I find out that your inability to keep it in your pants is the cause of me losing a highly skilled doctor then I will make your life a misery. Is that understood?" She asked him angrily.

"It's not what you think." Cal said quickly, putting a hand on the door of her car to stop her opening it. "You need to stop her!"

"Doctor Knight, please remove your hand from my car and step out of my way. I do not get involved in the personal lives of my staff and that is the end of this conversation." She pulled her door open and climbed in to the car, Cal slowly making his way over to Ethan's car feeling rather defeated.

* * *

><p>Amy stood on the doorstep, taking a couple of deep breaths to try and calm her nerves, before she went in to find Sam. This was going to go one of two ways- he'd either be incredibly drunk and angry or sober and very apologetic. Deciding that she couldn't put it off any longer she unlocked the door, listening out for any sign of him as she stepped over the threshold.<p>

"Amy?" She heard him call from upstairs.

"Yeah." She called back to him as he appeared at the top of the stairs.

"I wasn't sure if you'd be coming back tonight." He said, coming down the stairs towards her.

Amy fought the urge to take a step away from him as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He seemed sober, but he wasn't his usual apologetic self. There was something different about the way he was looking at her and it was unnerving. "I forgot to call you, sorry. Shall I go and get started on dinner?" She moved to step past him but he blocked her path.

He shook his head, glaring at her. "You're not going anywhere Amy. We need to have a conversation about what happened today." His voice was cold and precise compared to his usual drunken slurs.

She could feel her heart rate starting to accelerate, the fear and adrenaline setting in. "Sam, honey. I'm so sorry about that, I tried to stop him but-"

"How long have you been sleeping with him?" He demanded taking a step closer to her.

"He's just a colleague Sam, you know I'd never cheat on you!" Amy pleaded, taking a step back as he advanced towards her.

"How stupid do you think I am?" He yelled, lunging forward and grabbing her by her hair. "I might not have some fancy medical degree but I'm not a total moron! Stop lying to me!"

Amy grimaced in pain as he pulled on her hair, backing her up against the wall. "I'm telling you the truth Sam!" She cried.

"I suppose you've been telling him all about me? Making me out to be some kind of monster? None of this is my fault though Amy!" He shouted, smacking her head back against the wall.

"Sam, please!" She begged, the tears streaming from her eyes. "We can leave, start afresh somewhere new. Anywhere you want to go! I've already told my boss I'm leaving... Please, you don't need to do this." She sobbed.

Sam laughed sarcastically. "And there we have it, the Amy Steel solution to all of life's problems- packing her bags and running away! Do you honestly think I want to go anywhere with you? How is going halfway across the country to some random town going to solve anything? How stupid are you?"

"Sam, please. I'm begging you, don't do this." Amy sobbed. She was terrified, she'd never seen him like this. Usually he was drunk and uncoordinated- then she could convince herself that he didn't know what he was doing, that he didn't actually mean to hurt her. But today, he was stone cold sober. She could see it in his eyes, the way he was looking at her- he wanted to hurt her, to teach her a lesson for something she hadn't done.

"Shut up!" He screamed, smacking her around the face with considerable force, the noise seeming to echo around the house. "Who do you think you are? Telling me what to do." He shook his head angrily, glaring at her as she cringed back in to the wall.

"Sam, please. We can talk about this." She pleaded, earning herself another punch to the face. Her eyes watered as he hit her nose, she felt it crunch and was almost certain it was broken.

"I'm done talking with you!" He yelled, throwing her down to the floor. "I've lost everything because of you! Don't you see that? Then to top it all off you start screwing another man! Did you enjoy having a laugh behind my back about how pathetic I am? Where's your doctor now though, hey? He's not coming to save you now is he?!"

"What are you going to do Sam? Kill me?" She asked, her voice not sounding nearly as strong as she'd intended it to. Begging wasn't working so she'd have to try a different approach. He was right, no one was coming to save her. "You wouldn't get away with it, people would notice I was missing!"

Sam laughed. "You said it yourself sweetheart, you told them you were leaving... No ones expecting you. There's no one left on this earth that would notice if you just disappeared. I'm all you've got, remember? By the time anyone finds you I'll be long gone... The world is my oyster!"

Amy felt her blood run cold as he smirked down at her and she realised he'd actually thought this through. In the time between the incident at the hospital and he coming home, the time she'd left thinking he'd calm down, he'd sat down and formed a plan and she'd walked straight in to it.

"Not got so much to say for yourself now have you?" He laughed, kicking her in the stomach- the momentum causing her to smack her head on the bottom of the stairs, almost knocking her unconscious. She was finished, she didn't have it in her to try to fight him off anymore and there was no one coming to save her. Why hadn't she listened to Cal? She'd insisted on coming home and giving Sam another chance and now she was going to pay the price for it.

The last thing she saw was Sam's face leaning over her, smirking at her, before everything went black.


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for the lovely reviews on the last chapter Jinxy13112 and casualtyzax! It really made my smile to read them. I hope you'll enjoy this part as much as the last. Let me know what you think!_

* * *

><p>"That's weird." Cal said as he walked in to work with Ethan the next morning, nodding in the direction of Amy's front door which was wide open and swinging in the breeze. He was already on his way up the steps to the door before Ethan had a chance to answer him. "Amy?" He called, peering around the front door. "Amy, are you there?" He called, louder this time.<p>

Ethan frowned, walking up the steps and standing behind his brother. "Amy?" He called. They took a step further inside cautiously. "Amy?" There was silence. "Maybe she left already?" He was unsure; something about the situation just didn't feel right.

Cal advanced another step, his eyes being drawn towards a mark on the wall in front of them. As he stepped closer he realised what it was- blood. "Amy?!" He called, the panic clear in his voice as he followed the trail along the wall towards the kitchen with Ethan right behind him.

"Amy!" She was lying on the kitchen floor, blood pooling around her. He turned to tell his brother to call an ambulance but Ethan was already on the phone. "Amy, can you hear me?" Cal asked, feeling her neck for a pulse. He let out a sigh of relief when he found one- it was weak but it was there.

"They're on their way." Ethan said, kneeling down by her head and holding it steady after hanging up the phone.

"I should've stopped her coming back here." Cal muttered under his breath, looking at her bruised and swollen face.

Ethan shook his head. "You can't blame yourself for this Cal. She made the decision to come back here; there was nothing you could've done to stop her. You and I both know that once she'd made up her mind you wouldn't have been able to change it."

"Hello? Paramedics!" They were interrupted by Jeff's voice.

"Through here!" Ethan called, keeping a hold of Amy's head.

"Cal? Ethan?" Jeff asked, confused. "What happened?"

"I don't know. Her door was open when we walked past this morning and we just found her like this." Ethan said quickly. "We don't know how long she's been here. She's unconscious, pulse is weak and she's lost a lot of blood."

"Right, I'll go and get a collar and board." Jeff said quickly, jumping to his feet and heading back to the ambulance.

"Amy love, can you squeeze my hands if you can hear me?" Dixie tried, but got no response from the young doctor. "Come on Jeffrey!" She yelled as she heard his footsteps in the hallway.

"I'm here." Jeff said. "Right, let's get this young lady on the board and to the hospital."

* * *

><p>What felt like hours later, but in reality was only a few minutes later, Dixie was pulling open the doors to the ambulance. "Cal? Ethan? What happened?" Zoe asked as Dixie and Jeff pulled the bed out of the back of the ambulance.<p>

"It's Amy." Ethan said quickly. "We found her on the way in to work. She's been unconscious since we found her, pulse is weak and she's lost a lot of blood. She's got a large wound to the back of her head, her left shoulder is dislocated, right ankle is almost certainly broken and probably several ribs." He told her as they made their way through to resus.

"Right, you two go and get changed." Zoe said, turning to face them both and noticing they were covered in blood. "Then wait in the staff room."

Cal opened his mouth to protest but Zoe didn't give him a chance. "Lofty, go and get Connie for me. Now!"

"Come on." Ethan said, pulling his brother gently towards the door.

* * *

><p>Cal had been deadly silent in the fifteen minutes that had passed since they'd left Amy in resus. Ethan watched him worriedly, waiting for some kind of emotion over what had happened to finally hit his brother. He knew Cal was going to end up blaming himself for this, that he'd convince himself that he should've seen it coming, that he should've found a way to stop her from going back there.<p>

They both looked up as there was a knock at the door. Rita smiled at them sympathetically. "How are you doing in here?" She asked, closing the door behind her.

"Is there any news?" Ethan asked, almost afraid to hear the answer.

"She's stable, for the moment. She still hasn't regained consciousness; I think they're waiting on the scans to come back so the neurosurgeons can assess her properly… She's a tough one, I'm sure she won't give up without a fight… Anyway, the reason I was coming to get you is the Police are here and they'd like to talk to you." She said, her eyes flickering over to Cal again, who was staring at the wall.

"I'll come and talk to them." Ethan said, looking at his brother. He got up and followed Rita to the door.

"Is he alright?" She asked as they walked out of the staff room, casting a glance back over her shoulder at Cal.

Ethan sighed. "He's blaming himself for this. He hasn't said anything, but I can tell."

"How can he possibly think any of this is your fault?" Rita asked as she walked back through to reception with Ethan.

"It's complicated." He told her, spotting the police officers waiting for him by reception.

"Isn't it always?" Rita asked. "Connie said to use her office. I'll come and get you if there's any change."

"Thanks Rita." He said, approaching the two police officers and taking them back to Connie's office.

* * *

><p>"Stop! Let me do a pulse check." Connie instructed, Zoe putting a hand on Robyn's shoulder as the young nurse stopped her compressions.<p>

There was total silence, everyone seeming to hold their breath as Connie checked for a pulse. She nodded after a few seconds. "It's weak but it's there." There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Rita, can you give the surgeons a call and ask them how much longer their going to be please?" Zoe asked. "I'm going to go and talk to Cal and Ethan. Come and get me if anything changes."

* * *

><p>"Ethan!" Zoe called, jogging to catch up with him as he came out of Connie's office. "Where's Cal?"<p>

"He's in the staffroom." Ethan answered. "How is she?"

"She's hanging in there for now, but she's arrested twice already. We're just waiting for the surgeons to come down. How's Cal holding up?" She asked.

Ethan stopped walking, leaning back against the wall. "He's blaming himself." He sighed. "We should've seen this coming, found a way to stop her."

Zoe shook her head. "You can't blame yourself, she's just lucky you found her… What happened Ethan?"

"I don't know… I'm almost certain it was her fiancée. She wouldn't talk about it, but she turned up on our doorstep the other night while I was at work, Cal let her in and she was a mess. She wouldn't say exactly what had happened, but then he turned up here yesterday and started yelling at her. He thought she was cheating on him. She was planning to leave with him, go and start again somewhere new. She spoke to Connie about it yesterday… I can only guess that he wasn't happy about it."

"Well, that would certainly explain her medical history. How did none of us notice this?" She mused out loud.

Ethan shrugged. "It's amazing what you think of with hindsight. She was so good at hiding it, you can't blame yourself. That's what I keep trying to tell Cal anyway. I've told the police as much as I know, but there's not really anything left to do now except cross our fingers and wait."

Zoe nodded in agreement. "Listen, I'll let you go and update Cal. I'm going to go back and see if the surgeons are ready for her yet and try and hurry them up a little. I'll keep you posted."

"Thanks Zoe." Ethan said, heading back towards the staff room.

* * *

><p>Cal looked up as his brother walked in. "Is there any news?" He asked hesitantly, terrified he might not want to hear the answer.<p>

Ethan nodded. "Zoe said the surgeons would be ready for her any minute."

"Has she told them what happened?" Cal asked.

"No, she hasn't regained consciousness at all. I spoke to the Police; they've got people out looking for Sam. They'll find him… You can't blame yourself for any of this Cal. Amy knew what might happen if she went home, but she made the decision to go anyway. You can't take responsibility for this."

"Your brother's right Cal." They both looked up in surprise at the sound of Connie's voice. "They've taken her up to surgery now; I imagine she'll be quite some time. There's quite a bit of internal damage but she's in good hands. She was very lucky that you found her when you did. I've made a couple of calls, there's people coming in to cover your shifts." She said, disappearing back out of the staffroom before either of them could say anything.

"Wow, Connie almost said something nice." Cal muttered. "Should've recorded that."

Ethan smiled. "Come on, let's go get a coffee while we wait. It's going to be a while."

Cal nodded, glancing at the clock as he dragged himself to his feet. He couldn't believe it had only been a couple of hours since they'd left for work- it felt like a lifetime. The hours they were going to have to wait to hear anything on Amy's condition were going to feel even longer.

* * *

><p>"Surely it shouldn't be taking this long!" Cal muttered, pacing up and down the corridor.<p>

Ethan smiled sympathetically at his brother. "Cal, just sit down." He told him. "You know how this works; it will take as long as it takes." His brother's medical training and reason all appeared to have gone out of the window.

Cal reluctantly sat down beside his brother. "I just thought that we would've heard something by now!"

"I know, but no news is probably good news. You just have to be patient Cal."

"I just want to know that she's okay." Cal sighed, his eyes fixed on the doors.

"I know, we all do. I'm sure she'll be fine; this is Amy we're talking about. She'll be annoying us all again in no time." He wasn't sure if his words were supposed to reassure Cal or himself.

Twenty minutes later the doors swung open, Cal jumping to his feet as Amy was wheeled past. "How is she?" He asked as Serena Campbell came out of the door behind her.

She gave him that sympathetic look he'd given to so many worried relatives. "She's critical but stable. We'll have to see how things go. I've managed to stop the bleeding and we managed to salvage her kidney. The neurosurgeons have managed to stop the bleed in her brain for the time being but they can't say if or when she'll regain consciousness. We just need to monitor her very closely. She's by no means out of the woods yet. You can go in and see her if you want too, they've taken her down to ITU." She told him. "Excuse me." She disappeared off down the corridor.

It took Ethan a moment to realise that his brother was crying. He couldn't remember the last time he'd seen his brother cry, not even at their mother's funeral. "Come on." He said, putting a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Why don't we go and see her before the rest of the ED get off their shifts and start turning up?"

Cal nodded, taking a couple of deep breaths and wiping his eyes as they made their way down to ITU to see her. "I genuinely thought she wasn't going to make it through this… I know she's not out of the woods yet but still…"

Ethan nodded in agreement. "I know what you mean- she's stronger than she looks." He smiled. "You go ahead." He said as they reached the doors. "I'm going to head down stairs and tell everyone the good news."

Cal nodded, pushing the buzzer on the door. "Thanks Ethan." He smiled, pulling the door open as someone unlocked it to let him in.

Flashing a quick smile at the nurse, he made his way over to Amy, sitting down in the chair beside her bed. She looked so tiny and fragile lying in the bed, the bruises that covered her face and arms in sharp contrast with the white bed sheets. He reached out and gently took her hand in his own, silently willing her to wake up. "Come on Amy." He whispered. "You can't let him win."


	9. Chapter 9

"How is she?" Zoe asked as she made her way in to the staff room at the end of another long shift.

Cal shrugged, pulling his bag out of his locker and turning to face her. "No change really." He sighed, rubbing his hand across his face wearily. "They took her off the ventilator a few days ago but she's still not showing any sign of waking up any time soon."

Zoe smiled at him sympathetically. "These things take time, have to remember that. Have the Police had any luck?"

Cal shook his head, slamming the locker door shut and heading for the door. "Nothing, it's like he's disappeared in to thin air... It's so frustrating."

"They'll find him Cal, you've just got to give it time. I know you're probably sick of people saying that but it's true."

"I know." He smiled in return. "It's just difficult to remember sometimes... Anyway, I'll see you tomorrow." He said as they went their separate ways- Zoe headed in the direction of her car and Cal taking the increasingly familiar route upstairs to visit Amy.

Zoe was right, it might be slow, but there was progress- it was going to take time. As much as he'd love it if she would, Amy wouldn't just suddenly wake up and be okay. It had been nearly two weeks since they'd found Amy, and they'd been the longest two weeks of his life. He'd barely slept, the images of her lying there on the floor haunting him every time he closed his eyes.

He'd reached the door to ITU without even realising, his hand resting on the handle as he waited to be let in. The nurse smiled at him as she opened the door. "How is she?" He asked, his eyes wandering over to her bed.

"Good." The nurse smiled. "She woke up very briefly earlier- she asked for you."

Cal smiled at the nurse, making his way over to sit by the bed. He couldn't believe he'd missed it. He'd been waiting weeks for her to wake up, sitting by her bed hoping- he hadn't wanted her to be alone when she did finally wake up. Still, he was over the moon that she'd finally woken up- even if it was short lived. He'd been petrified that she might not wake up at all, a thought that he couldn't even begin to comprehend.

He sat down in the chair, his hand reaching for hers automatically. He'd lost count of the number of hours he'd spent sat in that chair in the past two weeks. He smiled as her fingers tightened slightly around his own, her eyes slowly fluttering open.

"Cal?" She mumbled, blinking as her eyes struggled to adjust to the bright lights.

"I'm right here." He answered, squeezing her hand gently- the feeling of relief after hearing her voice again was overwhelming. "How are you feeling?"

"Mm...I'm fine." She mumbled incoherently, the painkillers making it difficult to think properly. She forced her eyes to focus on his face as he peered down at her anxiously.

Cal couldn't help but laugh at her response, shaking his head.

"What's funny?" She frowned.

"You!" He laughed. "Only you could wake up after having major surgery, breaking most of the bones in your body and spending two weeks in a coma and tell me you're fine."

"Sorry." She mumbled, her eyes starting to droop closed again despite her attempts to keep them open. "What happened?" She asked him.

"You don't remember anything?" He asked, wondering what he could tell her. He'd been hoping maybe she could give him some answers.

"No, I can't even remember leaving the ED." She told him, forcing her eyes open again, frowning as she concentrated all of her energy on trying to remember.

Cal squeezed her hand reassuringly. "It's okay, it's nothing you need to worry about right now. We can talk about it later, once you're feeling better."

"'Kay..." She replied sleepily, her eyes slipping closed as she fell asleep again. Cal remained in his seat for a few more minutes, a smile on his face as he watched her sleep peacefully, before he carefully extracted his hand from her grip and started to make his way home.

* * *

><p>"You're in a good mood tonight!" Ethan commented as his brother walked in to the kitchen that evening. "Does this mean there's good news?"<p>

Cal nodded, grabbing a beer from the fridge. "She woke up, only briefly, but still..." He grinned, sitting down at the table.

Ethan smiled back at him. "That's fantastic! Did she say anything?"

Cal nodded. "She tried to tell me she was fine when I asked how she was feeling." They both laughed. "Then she asked me what happened." Cal sighed, their laughter stopping abruptly.

"Does she not remember anything? I suppose it wouldn't be unusual with that kind of head injury."

"She doesn't even remember leaving the ED that night... What am I supposed to tell her Ethan?" Cal asked wearily. "I don't know what happened either, I can have a pretty good guess from what I saw but..."

Ethan shook his head. "It might come back to her Cal, you'll just have to be patient."

"That's what I'm afraid of." Cal added quietly. "If she remembers every little detail of what happened to her Ethan, imagine what that's going to do to her. She's better off not remembering. God knows I've relieved the whole thing enough times for all of us."

Ethan smiled sympathetically at his brother, knowing Cal was struggling with nightmares about what had happened. He had to admit that the image of Amy lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood had haunted his own dreams more than once. "What did you tell her when she asked?"

Cal took another swig of his beer. "I told her we'd talk about it later, when she was feeling better."

Ethan nodded. "Well, if she asks again you can only tell her as much as you know. Her mind can probably fill in the blanks. Like you said, it might not be a bad thing if she can't remember. I'll try and get up to visit her on my lunch break tomorrow, maybe I can answer some of her questions and spare you some of them at least."

"Thanks." Cal smiled. "For everything."

* * *

><p>"You came back!" Amy beamed from where she was sitting in bed as Cal made his way back in to see her the next morning.<p>

"I've been coming to see you everyday." He laughed. "Did you think I'd stop coming now you're finally awake? Where would the sense be in that?"

She pulled a face at him. "There's no telling with you! You're not exactly the most sensible person I know!" She teased as he sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Wow, thanks! I hope you're going to be nicer to Ethan when he comes to see you later!" He retorted.

"Of course." Amy smirked. "After all, he's definitely my favourite out of you two."

Cal shook his head. "Luckily for you, I've missed your teasing or I'd probably be kind of offended right about now!"

"I'll have to try harder then." She joked. "I've got lost time to make up for." She paused and looked at him much more seriously. "On a serious note, thank you for being here. I haven't got anyone else and Sam, well..."

Cal smiled, squeezing her hand. "Any time, I mean it." He glanced down at his watch. "Although right now, I'm going to have to abandon you. I'll come back and see you again later if you're still awake?" He got up reluctantly, cursing Connie for all the extra shifts she'd given him to cover Amy's work load.

"Go!" She laughed. "I'm not going anywhere. You can come back later and fill me in on all the gossip from downstairs."

"Fine." Cal smiled, picking up his bag and taking a couple of steps towards the door. "I'll be back later." He promised, heading out of the door and down to the ED with a smile on his face.

Amy relaxed back against the pillows as the door closed behind him, fighting to keep her eyes open. She was exhausted, a mixture of the drugs she was on and a restless night starting to catch up with her. Throughout the night tiny snippets of what had happened to her had started to come back to her, leading to her getting very little sleep all night. Now she understood the look of panic she'd seen on Cal's face when she had asked him to explain what had happened to her. She reluctantly allowed her eyes to close as the effort of keeping them open became too much for her, praying that she could sleep peacefully and not be haunted by the memories of Sam's face smirking down at her.


	10. Chapter 10

"Finally! Some company!" Amy exclaimed excitedly as Ethan walked through the door. "I'm bored out of my mind in here!"

Ethan laughed, sitting down on the chair beside the bed. "How are you feeling? Besides the boredom?"

"You have no idea how much I hate that question, it's all anyone ever asks me!" She complained.

Ethan raised an eyebrow. "You didn't answer me."

Amy rolled her eyes. "All things considered I'm doing pretty good. They're moving me to Keller once there's a bed."

"That's great news." Ethan smiled. "You had us all worried for a while."

"I can't believe how lucky I've been." She mused quietly. "I guess I owe you and Cal a drink for saving my life."

Ethan laughed. "I'll hold you to that once you're out of here..." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair, trying to work out how to ask the question he really wanted to.

"Just spit it out Ethan, whatever it is you're trying to figure out how to say."

"I..um... I was just wondering if you'd remembered anything else?" He asked hesitantly, he didn't want to open himself up to too many questions about what had happened.

"No." She lied quickly, in no way ready to discuss the details of her nightmares with anyone. "It's all kind of hazy still."

She didn't miss the look of relief that washed over Ethan's face. His eyes flickered up to the clock. "I'd better get going, Connie is going to kill me if I late getting back. It's crazy down there." He smiled apologetically. "I'll let Cal know they're moving you, he'll freak out if he comes up here later and you're gone." He laughed.

"Thanks for coming to see me." She smiled in return as Ethan left.

* * *

><p>"Amy, wake up." Cal shook her gently to wake her. He'd been sitting by her bed for the last five minutes, watching as she'd writhed around under the sheets.<p>

"No, Sam please. Don't do this." She whispered.

"Amy, wake up." Cal tried again, shaking her a little harder.

Her eyes flew open, she looked up at him with confusion. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she could feel a thin film of sweat coating her body. "I... I..." She stammered, looking up at Cal's face which was filled with concern. Much to her dismay her eyes filled with tears which she quickly tried to blink away.

"Hey, it's okay." Cal said soothingly, sitting beside her on the bed. He put an arm around her and gently rubbed her back. Initially she cringed away from his touch slightly, before she turned her head towards him, resting it against his chest as he held her tightly. "I take it you're starting to remember?"

"I was hoping I wouldn't." She told him. "I don't want to remember it, it was awful living through it the first time but I don't want to have to do it over and over again every time I close my eyes."

"I was hoping you would remember either." He said quietly. "You shouldn't have to." He wiped away a stray tear that rolled down her cheek.

"I thought he was going to kill me." She admitted, her voice a hoarse whisper. She could vividly remember the look in Sam's eyes as he'd glared down at her, she'd been convinced she was going to die.

"I thought he had." He told her. That was certainly an image he'd never be able to erase from his mind, no matter how hard he tried.

"I never got to say thank you." She added after a few moments pause. "I didn't think anyone would ever find me."

"Your front door was open, we spotted it on our way in to work." He explained. It made his stomach churn slightly to think that if it hadn't been for the virus that had them all working extra shifts then he wouldn't have been walking past. He didn't even like to consider what could've happened.

"I was trying to get to the phone to call you." She admitted. She could vividly remember hauling herself down the hallway, desperately trying to reach the phone in the kitchen despite the pain it caused her.

"It doesn't matter now." Cal said eventually. "We found you and you're safe, that's all that matters." His hold on her tightened slightly as he spoke.

Amy allowed herself to relax in to his embrace, feeling safe for the first time since she'd woken up. "What happened to Sam?" She asked hesitantly, feeling Cal tense up beside her. 'Did they catch him or...?"

Cal shook his head. "They're still looking for him, but don't worry. They'll catch him, he can't hurt you anymore."

Amy was silent for a long time, her mind spinning as she attempted to process everything. "I... I don't want to press charges." She said eventually, so quietly Cal was convinced he'd heard her wrong.

"What?!" His voice was much too loud in contrast with the relative quiet of the ward, earning him a warning glare from one of the nurses. "You've got to be kidding me." He hissed.

"Cal, please." Amy begged, feeling his arms loosen around her. She knew she shouldn't have said anything, how could she possibly expect him to understand what was going on in her head. "I know you don't understand, and that's okay. I don't expect you to... But just hear me out okay? I know what he did was wrong, I'm not trying to deny that. But I can't Cal, I can't stand up in a court and recount every horrific detail of the last six years of my life to a bunch of strangers. I can't do it... I won't do it."

"How can... I... What if he comes back?" Cal got out eventually, his brain trying to process what she'd just told him.

"He's not coming back Cal, he thinks he killed me." She told him, her voice so calm and matter of fact it took herself by surprise as well as Cal.

"What do you mean? How can you say that?"

Amy was quiet for a few minutes, trying to decide if she should actually tell Cal the truth about what had happened or if he was better off not knowing. "Because I heard him." She whispered, a tear rolling down her cheek that he quickly brushed away. "While I was laying on the floor, he thought I was dead. He was talking to himself, trying to work out what to do with the body." She cringed slightly, remembering the sight of Sam's boots pacing back and forth in front of her as he contemplated his options. "He's going to have to live with that for the rest of his life, that is his punishment."

"You can't be serious." Cal said, struggling to comprehend what she'd just said.

"Please Cal. Don't push me on this, I don't want to fight with you." She pleaded, looking up at him.

Cal sighed. "Fine, lets just not talk about it anymore." He didn't want to start an argument with her either, they'd have to talk about it at some point in the future but it could wait. "Have they said when you might be out of here?" He asked.

Amy shook her head. "Not yet." She replied sleepily. "Soon I hope, it's driving me nuts in here."

He laughed quietly. "Everyone misses you down stairs." He told her. "Even Connie's been up here to check on you a few times."

"Woah, who'd have thought... Maybe the ice queen does have a heart after all!" She felt a pang of sadness thinking of her colleagues downstairs. She'd spent all day lying there thinking through the options in her mind, trying to work out what her options were once she left the hospital.

"You've gone very quiet." Cal commented. "What are you thinking about?"

Amy shifted slightly in an attempt to get comfortable. She was relieved that Cal couldn't see her face as she winced in pain. "Nothing." She lied, not wanting to talk to him about it until she'd made up her mind. She knew he'd try and persuade her to stay. A part of her wanted to, she felt so safe in his arms she couldn't comprehend leaving him and starting over again. But she also knew Holby would always be filled with reminders of Sam and what had happened- that was something she wasn't sure she could live with.

"I should probably get going." Cal said reluctantly, unwrapping his arms from around her and standing up. "I'll be back tomorrow." He promised.

Amy flopped back against the pillows, trying to ignore the pain the movement caused. "I'll look forward to it." She smiled as Cal headed for the door, leaving her alone with her thoughts once again.


	11. Chapter 11

"I've got some good news for you!" Cal smiled, sitting down on the side of her bed. Another week has passed since Amy had been moved to Keller, and he'd made a habit of stopping off to visit her on his way in to work each morning.

"You've brought me some real food?" She asked hopefully, stirring around her untouched food with her fork.

Cal laughed. "No, sorry... I'll try and remember to bring you a sandwich or something up with me later."

"Come on then, spit it out!" She laughed, she could see he was excited about something.

"I spoke to Serena on my way in this morning, she said you can go home tonight as long as you have someone with you!" He announced excitedly.

Amy forced a smile, realising he was looking at her expectantly. The anxiety at the thought of leaving the hospital was making her stomach churn. "I... I can't. I haven't got anywhere to go." She said eventually.

"I thought you'd say that... And that is why you're coming home with me and Ethan!" He told her, smiling excitedly.

"I... I can't ask you to do that." She stammered, taking s couple of deep breaths to try and calm herself. The idea of having to leave the hospital was making her feel physically sick. It was like a bubble in there, where she could pretend the world outside didn't exist.

"You didn't ask, we offered." Cal smiled, a little confused by her reaction. "I've already run it past Ethan and he's more than happy for you to stay with us. We're both working today but we'll come up and get you after our shift finishes." He glanced over at the clock. "I'd better get going, but I'll see you later."

Amy forced a smile as he stood up. "See you later." She agreed as he made a beeline for the door. She took a couple of deep breaths as he disappeared from sight, trying to calm her irrational fears. She couldn't hide in the hospital forever, she'd have to face the world again eventually. She'd be perfectly safe with Cal and Ethan- they'd never do anything to hurt her, she knew that. Yet she could feel the panic rising in her stomach at the thought of going home with them. Cal was about to discover she'd lied about her nightmares- she'd lied and told him they'd gone- when in reality they were only getting worse. The nurse had woken her three times during the night after she'd started screaming in her sleep. She laid in the bed, anxiously watching the clock as she waited for Cal and Ethan's shifts to come to an end.

* * *

><p>"Are you ready?" Cal asked, walking back on to the ward that evening with Ethan following closely behind.<p>

Amy nodded, forcing a smile. "Nearly, I'm just waiting for the nurse to come back with the discharge papers and some painkillers. I should probably get changed too." She gestured down at the hospital gown.

"Probably a good idea." Cal laughed. "I got these out of your locker, it's all I could find. Sorry." He handed her a pair of scrubs and a hoodie she'd left behind.

"Thanks." She smiled, relaxing a little. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all. "I don't suppose you could give me a hand? It's just I'm not very steady on my feet." She gestured to her right ankle that was still in a cast.

"I'll go and find out where those discharge papers are." Ethan volunteered quickly, pulling the curtains around before he left.

"Right then..." Cal held her up as she very unsteadily balanced on her left leg and attempted to pull up the trousers he'd brought her.

"Sorry." She apologised quickly as she lost her balance, Cal supporting more or less her entire body weight before pushing her gently back against the bed.

"It's fine." He reassured her, seeing her face flush bright red with embarrassment. "I bet you've been a real pain in the ass to have as a patient." He teased, passing her the top to change in to.

"What makes you think that?" She asked, wincing slightly as she stretched her arms up to pull the top over her head.

"You can't let anyone help you with anything!" He laughed, grabbing hold of the hem of the top and pulling it down for her, trying to ignore the colourful bruises that covered her body along with the scar on her stomach.

"Thanks." Amy smiled, sliding her arms in to the hoodie he held out to her.

"Is it safe to come in?" Ethan's voice called hesitantly from the other side of the curtain.

Amy laughed, feeling much more relaxed than she had earlier. "It's fine Ethan, come in!"

The curtain was pulled back, Ethan standing next to Serena Campbell who was holding a bag from the pharmacy and her discharge papers.

"Sorry it took so long." Serena smiled. "If you sign these then you can be on your way, I'll see you in a few weeks time for a follow up appointment. Until then you're to stay at home and take it easy. I'm sure these two will do an excellent job of looking after you." She smiled, handing Amy the forms which she quickly signed and handed back. "Right, well you're free to leave. Any problems at all, make sure you call me!"

Amy nodded. "Thanks Serena." She said quickly, the older woman smiling at her again before leaving.

"Right then, your carriage awaits!" Cal joked, gesturing to the wheelchair that was beside the bed.

Amy groaned. "Is this really necessary?" She asked, shooting a pleading look at Ethan.

"I don't think you'll get very far like that!" Ethan laughed, gesturing to her leg.

"Fine!" She rolled her eyes at him, accepting the hand Cal held out to her to help her in to the chair. "You'd better push this thing more carefully than you drive!" She warned him as he started pushing her towards the exit.

* * *

><p>Amy stared out of the window as Ethan drove them back home, entirely oblivious to Ethan and Cal's bickering. She felt her breath catch in her throat as they passed the home she'd shared with Sam, the police tape still across the door.<p>

"Here we go!" Ethan's voice jolted her out of her thoughts as he parked the car outside the house.

OAmy rearranged her face in to what she hoped vaguely resembled a smile as Cal opened the car door. He helped her out of the car, any draping an arm around his shoulders to keep her upright as he half carried her up the steps to the front door that Ethan was holding open for them.

"Here we are." Cal smiled, helping her through in to the living room where the sofa bed was pulled out and made ready for her.

"Thanks so much for this." Amy said again as she relaxed back on to the sofa. "You really didn't have to do this."

"It's no problem." Ethan smiled, walking through to the kitchen. "Just make yourself at home. I'm going to get started on dinner- just a word of advice, don't eat anything Cal's cooked. You'll only regret it."

Amy laughed. "Copy that!" Her initial fears about leaving the hospital were beginning to fade quickly.

"Zoe managed to persuade Connie to put us on opposite shifts, so there's always going to be one of us here." Cal said, sitting down next to her.

"You didn't have to do that, I'll be fine on my own." She told him quickly, although she'd never admit it she was more than a little relieved she wasn't going to be left on her own with her thoughts. "I don't want to cause you any trouble."

"You aren't, don't worry about it." He smiled. "We were hardly going go leave you trapped in here on your own all day. You'd go crazy!"

"Now Cal's going to drive you crazy instead!" Ethan called through from the kitchen, making Amy laugh.

"Ignore him! He's far more difficult to live with than me!" Cal retorted, loudly for his brothers benefit.

"You two are like little kids, always bickering!" She laughed, suppressing a yawn.

"Get some rest." Cal told her, squeezing her arm gently as he got up. "Ethan won't be done with whatever the hell he's doing in the kitchen for quite some time!"

Amy reluctantly allowed her eyes to close, the weeks of broken sleep finally catching up with her. She was hoping that she'd be so tired she'd fall straight in to a deep and dreamless sleep that wouldn't be haunted by memories of Sam.

* * *

><p><em>"No, Sam please, listen to me!" Amy begged, hauling herself to her feet. He hit her again before she'd even got all the way up, the force of the blow knocking her back to the ground with a sickening crunch as her nose collided with the floor.<em>

_"I'll never understand why you don't just learn your lesson!" Sam snarled, bending down and grabbing her by her hair to haul her back upright. "Do you think I want to have to punish you? Why can't you just do as you're told?" He shoved her back against the wall._

_"I went to my mums funeral Sam!" She yelled back at him. "I know you can't get it in to that thick skull of yours but I'm not cheating on you!"_

_She saw his eyes darken, the muscles in his jaw clench as his anger rose, his hands going around her neck. "Don't you ever talk to me like that again!" He spat, his fingers tightening around her neck._

_"No, Sam please!" She begged, clawing at him in a frantic attempt to free herself._

* * *

><p>"Amy!" Cal shook her gently, her eyes flying open as she sat bolt upright. The sudden movement caused her head to spin slightly. She took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, her heart still pounding in her chest.<p>

"It was just a dream." She didn't even realise she'd said the words out loud until Cal responded.

"It was just a dream." He repeated, watching her closely as she tried to calm herself down. "I thought you said they were getting better?" He asked hesitantly.

"They are." She lied, avoiding looking him in the eye. The nightmares weren't about what he thought, these were the ones that had been haunting her for years, the ones she'd probably never be free from.

"Have you thought about maybe talking to someone about what happened that night? It might help."

"I said I'm fine." She answered, laying back down and rolling over so she was facing away from him. The position was uncomfortable for her ribs but at least it meant he couldn't see the tears that were slipping from her cheeks.

Cal got up a few minutes later when it became apparent she wasn't going to talk to him, wandering back in to the kitchen where Ethan looked at him questioningly. "How is she?" Ethan asked in a hushed voice.

Cal shrugged. "I don't know what to do." He admitted, he'd never been any good at things like this.

"I don't think anyone does." Ethan said sympathetically. "We just have to be here for her, and hope that eventually she decides to let us in... I'll try and talk to her while you're at work tomorrow." He suggested.

"It's just so frustrating, I wish I could go back in time and stop her going back there that night." Cal said, his eyes resting on Amy's heads just visible over the arm of the sofa.

"I think there's things we'd all do differently if we had the chance Cal, but you can't beat yourself up about it. There's no way you could've known what would happen and you definitely can't do anything to change it now."

"I know." Cal sighed in reply. "But it doesn't change the fact I wish I could."

* * *

><p>Amy had spent the rest of the evening pretending to be asleep in an attempt to avoid any further questioning from Cal and Ethan. She was exhausted and desperately wished she could sleep but the images and flashbacks of Sam that haunted her every time she closed her eyes kept her wide awake, far too anxious to sleep. Cal was almost certain she wasn't asleep, the look Ethan gave him suggested he'd reached the same conclusion. He'd left her in the end, just incase she was finally getting some sleep, and reluctantly made his way upstairs for what was sure to be another restless nights sleep.<p>

He'd spent most of the night tossing and turning, unable to get his mind to switch off long enough for him to go to sleep. When he did finally fall asleep, he was awoken a mere three hours later. It took him a few moments to process where the screaming was coming from before he kept out of bed and rushed down the stairs.

Amy had woken herself up with her screaming by the time Cal reached the living room. She flinched as he suddenly appeared beside her, sitting down on the sofa next to her. "I'm so sorry." She apologised quickly, wiping her hand roughly across her face to get rid of the tears. "You should go back to sleep, you've got to work."

"You don't need to apologise." He said softly, putting an arm around her in an attempt to comfort her. "I know you said you didn't want to talk about it but it might help... You can't carry on like this."

The tears she'd been desperately trying to hold back spilled down her cheeks as she turned to look at him. "I know you want to help Cal, I appreciate it, but there's things that I'm just not ready to talk about... I don't know if I ever will be."

"Is everything okay down here? I thought I heard screaming?" Ethan appeared in the doorway in his pyjamas, only looking half awake.

"Everything's fine." Cal said quickly.

"Okay then." Ethan said, shooting a confused look at his brother before turning around and going back up the stairs to bed.

"You should go back to bed, you've got to work." Amy said, reluctantly pulling herself away from Cal.

He shook his head. "I'll be fine, I'm good at working on very little sleep- you should see me after a big night out." He joked.

"Seriously, I'll be fine." She told him, forcing a smile.

"I'm staying down here." He told her, pulling her back towards him so her head was rested on his shoulder. "Now shut up and let me sleep!" He laughed.


	12. Chapter 12

Exactly three hours and twenty two minutes later, something she knew because she'd spent the entire time staring at the clock, Amy gently prodded Cal to wake him up. She felt awful, he'd taken ages to fall asleep after she'd woken him up with her screaming, and now he was going to have to get up and go to work. "Cal." She whispered, poking him again.

"Ugh... What time is it?" He mumbled sleepily, his head still resting in her lap.

"It's seven thirty." She said. "You need to get up, you're going to be late."

"Screw Connie." He mumbled, blinking sleepily.

Amy laughed. "If you like your job then I'm going to suggest you don't say that to her face!"

"Wise words." He agreed, forcing himself up off the sofa with a groan. "I'd better go get ready." He said, reluctantly heading for the stairs.

* * *

><p>He came back down a little while later having showered and got dressed to find Amy in the kitchen, balancing on her uninjured leg rather unsteadily as she poured a cup of coffee. "You're supposed to be resting." He commented, grabbing her by the elbow as she wobbled unsteadily.<p>

Amy pulled a face at him, stirring the coffee. "You can't seriously expect me to sit still for another two weeks until they take this stupid thing off?" She gestured towards the cast on her leg.

"Sit." Cal ordered, holding her arm to steady her as she hopped in the direction of the kitchen table. "That's exactly what I expect you to do!"

Amy sighed, sitting down on the chair he'd pulled out for her. "I'm fine!" She protested. "You don't have to keep worrying about me."

Cal laughed quietly, going to pick the mugs of coffee up from the counter and handing her one. "You've said that so many times now that there's no way I'll ever believe you."

She pulled a face at him, taking a sip from the mug. "You should believe me, I really am okay... I don't need you and Ethan to babysit me!"

"There's no point trying to argue with me on this, I know what you're like- there's no way you can be trusted to stay here and take it easy on your own!" He laughed, quickly draining his mug as he glanced at the clock. "Come on, let's get you back on the sofa then I'd better get to work or Connie's going to eat me alive."

Amy sighed dramatically, reluctantly accepting the hand he held out to her. "I'm quite capable of making it back to the sofa. I managed to get in to the kitchen!" She pointed out as he helped her back through.

"Sit down and stay there!" He instructed as she reluctantly sat back on the sofa. "If you need anything then ask Ethan, the last thing we need is you injuring yourself anymore!"

Amy pulled a face at him as he handed her the tv remote.

"Promise me you're not going to give Ethan too much trouble?" He laughed.

"I'll try!" She joked. "You'd better come back with some gossip or something for me."

"I'll see what I can do." He promised, heading for the door. "Now I really have to go or Connie's going to kill me."

Amy nodded in agreement. "Have fun, I'll see you later... I'm not going anywhere!" She called as the door slammed closed behind him.

* * *

><p>"Big night last night?" Zoe asked, walking in to the staff room for her break to find Cal half asleep on the sofa.<p>

"Not in the way you think." He yawned.

"Oh, of course! I forgot Amy was going home with you last night. How did that go?" She asked, sitting down beside him.

"It's fine." He answered quickly. He quickly realised he was starting to sound like Amy, telling everyone that everything was fine.

"But?" Zoe prompted, she could tell from the tone of his voice he wasn't telling her the full story.

"She's having nightmares." He admitted hesitantly. "She won't tell me what they're about, but she wakes up screaming... I don't know what to do."

Zoe smiled sympathetically. "She's been through a hell of a lot Cal, you're going to have to be patient and just accept that she might never tell you the full story. All you can do is be there for her." She knew from reading Amy's medical history when she'd been admitted that there was a lot more to the story than what had happened a few weeks ago. She dreaded to think of the causes of some of the injuries mentioned in Amy's notes.

"I suppose I should really get back to it." He sighed after a brief pause, forcing himself up after the sofa. "Connie's been breathing down my neck all day as it is!"

* * *

><p>"So then.." Ethan said awkwardly. He'd spent nearly the entire day trying to come up with the best way to bring up Amy's nightmares, each had been worst than the last.<p>

Amy's eyes flicked up from the tv screen, looking at him curiously. She didn't think she'd ever seen someone look quite so uncomfortable. "Is everything okay?" She frowned.

"That's actually what I was going to ask you?"

She stared down at her hands. She'd walked straight in to that one. "It's fine Ethan." She replied quickly, hoping to avoid any further questions.

"You can tell me the truth you know, you don't have to keep pretending you're okay." He said softly, unsure of what to say. He was even worse than Cal in situations like this, if that were even possible.

"I just want things to go back to normal." She whispered eventually. She wanted to laugh as she said it. Normal- who was she kidding? She wasn't even sure she knew the meaning of the word anymore.

"Things aren't going to be normal though, are they? You can't expect everything to fix itself overnight."

"I know that, but how am I supposed to go back to work after this? How can I go back there and do my job when everyone's giving me that pitying look that you're giving me right now?" She asked, wiping away a stray tear as she looked up at him.

"No one is going to judge you for what happened, they're just worried about you. We all are." He passed her a tissue which she gratefully accepted.

"I know you're trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it, but I don't know if I can go back there. Not after this." She finally voiced aloud the thought that had been lingering in the back of her mind for weeks.

Ethan hesitated, unsure of what to say to her. "You don't need to make any decisions like that right now." He said eventually. "Just focus on getting better and we can deal with the rest later. Why don't you try and get some sleep? Cal will be home soon and then you definitely won't get any peace."

Amy nodded in agreement, shuffling along the sofa in an attempt to make herself more comfortable in the hope it might allow her to get a few hours sleep.

* * *

><p>"Hey." Amy greeted Cal sleepily as he made his way in to the living room a few hours later. "Good shift?" She asked, pushing herself upright to create room for him to sit down.<p>

"The trust have ordered an inspection of the department- I've had Connie breathing down my neck all day and three people threw up on me." He complained. "Wasn't one of my best!"

Amy smiled as she heard Ethan laugh from the kitchen. "Lucky you... Is it wrong that I'm kind of jealous?" She was longing to get back to work, despite her reservations about going back to the ED, she'd never been one for taking time off.

Cal laughed. "Trust me, you're better off staying well away from that place. I've got no idea what Rita's done but Connie is not happy, it's like a war zone in there!"

"Excellent." Ethan sighed sarcastically , appearing in the doorway. "I can't wait for my shift tomorrow... I'm just going to nip out to the shops, there's no food in the fridge at all, although that shouldn't surprise me given it was your turn to go shopping."

"Sorry, I totally forgot. I'll go next week." He promised.

"Yeah well you say that every week." Ethan reminded him as he headed for the door. "I won't be long."

"Can I just say you still smell a little like vomit?" Amy laughed, turning to face Cal.

He pulled a face. "You're probably right, not that I can even smell it anymore... I'll go and take a shower." He said, jumping up from the sofa and heading for the stairs.

Amy turned her attention back to the tv show she'd been watching after he left, frowning as her phone started vibrating. "Hello?" She asked warily as she answered the call from a number she didn't recognise.

"Hi, is that Amy? It's DS Brinkley." The woman on the other end of the phone said.

"Yes." She mumbled in reply, she was rapidly beginning to wish she'd never answered the phone.

"I was just calling to see if we could come and see you tomorrow? There's a few things we need to discuss."

"I... Um... Okay." She couldn't keep putting them of forever, no matter how much she wanted too.

"Excellent. I also wanted to let you know that you're welcome to return to your house if you wish to collect any of your belongings. The crime scene team have more or less finished in there now."

"Okay." Amy answered eventually, she could feel her heart starting to race at the thought of stepping back inside the house.

"We'll see you tomorrow then." The other woman said before hanging up the phone.

Amy placed the phone back on the arm of the sofa, staring at it for a while as her mind attempted to process what had been said. She knew the police were going to want to talk to her eventually about what had happened, she couldn't avoid them forever no matter how hard she tried. She'd been dreading the questions that would come, they'd want her to press charges, to stand up in court and testify against Sam and that wasn't something she could do.

As for going back to the house to get her things, logically she knew she needed to. She was currently wearing some scrub bottoms Cal had stolen from the ED and a hoodie of his. Sooner or later she was going to have to go and get some of her own things, but still the idea of going in to the house filled her with dread.

"Are you okay? I could've sworn I heard you talking to someone." Cal's voice startled her as he came back in to the room.

"The police called." Amy said hesitantly. "They said I could go to the house and get my things if I wanted to. They're coming round to talk to me tomorrow."

That certainly explained the terrified look on her face he thought to himself. "Right. Is that something you want to do?" He asked as he sat down next to her.

Amy was staring at her hands, her fingers tracing the small crescent shaped scar on her knuckle that she couldn't even remember how she'd got. "I'll have to go and get some of my stuff eventually, I can't keep wearing your clothes forever." She said jokingly in an attempt to lighten the mood but her voice faltered slightly.

"Do you want me to go and get them for you?" He suggested. "You don't have to go back there if you don't want to."

Amy shook her head. "I can do this." She wasn't sure if she was trying to convince Cal or herself. "You'll never find anything if you go, half of it is still in boxes from when we moved up here." She hadn't really bothered to unpack, her and Sam had moved so often there just didn't seem to be any point.

"If you're sure?" He said hesitantly, she certainly didn't look convinced that she wanted to. "I'm not working tomorrow, so we could go in the morning if you want to get it over and done with?"

Amy nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"Okay then." Cal agreed, not pushing the matter any further. He turned his attention back to the tv, watching Amy out of the corner of his eye as she wiped a tear from her cheek when she thought he wasn't looking.


	13. Chapter 13

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Cal asked as they stood in front of Amy's house the next morning. "It's not too late to change your mind. You can sit in the car if you want and I'll go in and get some things for you?"

Amy shook her head, trying to steady her hand enough to put the key in to the lock. "Let's just get this over and done with." She said, eventually managing to unlock the door.

Cal nodded in agreement, helping her through the door. They both stopped abruptly as the door closed behind them, their eyes being drawn to the mark still visible on the wall. Amy shuddered slightly, trying to drag her eyes away from it. She could remember exactly how it had ended up there as she'd hauled herself through to the kitchen in a frantic attempt to call for help. "We… um… my stuff is upstairs." She mumbled, snapping Cal out of his thoughts.

"Right, yeah." He said, dragging his eyes away and looking at Amy. She could see he was waiting for her to freak out, to run as far away from there as possible. She looked remarkably calm on the outside, but he could see the way her hands trembled slightly as she reached for the banister. "Come on." He forced a smile as he helped her up the stairs.

"It's that one." She directed as they reached the top, leaning heavily against Cal. She hadn't realised quite how exhausting going up one flight of stairs was going to be. As Cal opened the door to the bedroom, the first thing she noticed was the picture she'd hung on the wall the day her and Sam had moved in. It was taken the day he'd proposed, their smiling faces made her stomach churn. She'd been so happy that day, everything had seemed so perfect, how on earth had things gone so wrong?

She let go of Cal and hopped over to the wardrobe, pulling bag out and starting to shove some clothes in it. She didn't even realise she was crying until Cal put his arm around her and handed her a tissue. "How did I end up here Cal?" She asked quietly, staring at Sam's clothes that were hanging in the wardrobe next to her own. "Where did I go wrong?" She turned to look at the photo hanging on the wall again.

"It's not your fault." He told her, shoving the last of her clothes in to the bag. "I know I sound like a broken record but you can't blame yourself for this."

"I should've known." She sighed, moving to sit down on the bed. Her leg was starting to hurt again after standing up for so long. "I should've listened to my Mum."

"What do you mean?" Cal asked curiously, sitting down beside her.

"She never liked Sam." Amy explained. "Actually, I think she hated him might be a more accurate description. She wouldn't tell me what it was about him, but she never wanted me with him… I thought I knew best. If I'd listened to her then we wouldn't be sat here right now."

"Why didn't you ask her for help?"

"We fought over something so ridiculous; I told her I never wanted to speak to her again." She admitted quietly. "I was so angry with her for interfering… I should've known that she knew best, she always did. I didn't speak to her for years, I suppose I was too proud to admit that I was wrong...then I got a phone call from my Dad and he told me she'd died… I ended up lying and telling Sam I was working so I could go to the funeral." She cringed slightly at the memory of what had happened when Sam found out where she'd been.

"What about your Dad?" He asked curiously.

"He moved out to Australia to live with my sister after Mum died. I send him a Christmas card every year but that's about as much contact as I have with him." She explained. There was a long pause, Cal unsure of what to say. "We should go." Amy said eventually. "The police are supposed to be coming today."

Cal nodded in agreement, standing up and pulling her with him. He threw the bag of her clothes over his shoulder before putting his arm around her waist to hold her steady as they headed for the stairs again.

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><p>Amy felt her heart start pounding in her chest as the doorbell rang, Cal smiling at her reassuringly as he got up to answer the door. He reappeared a few seconds later, an older looking blonde police officer following closely behind him. "I'll leave you to it, give me a shout if you need me." He said, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before leaving the room.<p>

"Hi Amy, I'm DS Brinkley. We spoke on the phone yesterday?" The other woman said, sitting down opposite Amy.

Amy forced a smile and nodded, not trusting herself to speak.

"I was hoping that we could talk about what happened now that you're feeling better?"

"What would you like to know?" Amy asked reluctantly, she'd been dreading the questions that were coming.

"Why don't you just start at the beginning and we can go from there?" The other woman suggested kindly. "Take as long as you need, I know this is going to be difficult."

"I um... I had an argument with Sam at work. He was drunk, he showed up demanding to know where I'd been. He thought I was cheating on him... Security removed him and I carried on with my shift, I thought if I waited a little while before I went home he might've calmed down." She paused uncertainly, staring down at the floor as she attempted to collect her thoughts.

"You're doing really well." The police woman said encouragingly, waiting for Amy to continue.

"I... Um... I went home and he was so angry. I tried to talk to him, to explain, but he just wouldn't listen. I can't remember exactly what happened after that... I ended up on the floor, I remember him kicking me and I think I hit my head on something. The next thing I remember is him pacing up and down the hallway, talking to himself." She hesitated, her voice coming out as a hoarse whisper when she spoke again. "He thought I was dead... He was trying to work out what to do, where to go... Then he just stepped over me and walked out of the front door... It's all kind of hazy after that. I can kind of remember pulling myself through to the kitchen, trying to get to the phone to call for help..."

"That's all I need for now." The police woman said, smiling reassuringly. "You did really well, I know that can't have been easy for you. I'll call you when we've got more information for you." She said getting to her feet, "I'll let myself out, thanks again."

She was vaguely aware of a quiet conversation in the hallway before the sound of the door closing, as she sat staring at the wall. She was exhausted, the day having well and truly taken its toll on her, but she didn't dare close her eyes. The memories were all too fresh in her mind having just recounted everything and she knew her sleep would be plagued with nightmares.

"Hey." Cal said warily, sitting down beside her. "How are you doing? That can't have been easy."

Amy shrugged, looking up at him with tear filled eyes. "I just want it to be over, I don't want to keep going over it over and over." She whispered.

"I know." He said sympathetically, putting an arm around her in an attempt to offer some comfort as she leant towards him. "It's going to take a while though, unfortunately for you I don't have a magic wand to fix everything."

A hint of a smile played on her lips. "Thank you, for being here for me. I don't know what I would've done without you these past few weeks." She admitted.

"I'm totally going to remind you of that next time I annoy you." He smiled, stroking her hair gently. "In all seriousness though, you know I wouldn't have had it any other way... Now I just need to get you back to work so Connie can pick on you instead of me!"

Amy laughed. "Wow, thanks! Such a charmer! Do you have to ruin it every time you say something nice?" She smacked his chest playfully.

Cal laughed, swatting her hand away. "This is why I need you back at work, your sense of humour is so much better than Lily's!"

"I'll remind you of that when I'm driving you insane at work!" She retorted, smiling happily as she leant her head back against his chest. She was starting to wonder if maybe, just this once, things might work out okay for her- maybe things could go back to normal after all.


	14. Chapter 14

_Hey guys, I'm back again with yet another update for you! For those of you who don't know, I rather spectacularly wrote off my car at the weekend and now I'm trapped at home with my leg in plaster which means lots of writing in an attempt to ease the boredom! I'd really appreciate it if you could leave a review and let me know what you think!_

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><p>"Are you sure you'll be okay here on your own all day?" Cal asked for what felt like the hundredth time that morning. Connie had called him in to work an extra shift to cover for someone, meaning Amy was going to be left on her own all day.<p>

"I'll be fine." She nodded with a roll of her eyes, pushing him towards the door. "Go, you're going to be late!"

Cal hesitated by the door, turning to look at her again. "Are you sure? I'll try and come back in my lunch break."

"Seriously Cal, I'll be fine! I'm a big girl, I don't need baby sitting!" She laughed, shaking her head when he still didn't move from the doorway. "I'm just going to sit here and watch tv, I'll be fine!"

"Call me if you need anything okay?"

Amy nodded. "Go!" She smiled. "I'll see you later!" She sighed in relief as she finally heard the door close behind him and turned her attention back to the tv in front of her. She was more than a little jealous of Cal and Ethan, getting to go to work, while she was stuck on the sofa for yet another day. She glared down at the cast her leg was still confined to- it was due to come off the next week and it wouldn't be a moment too soon.

She still hadn't totally managed to make up her mind over whether she was planning to stay in Holby or not, something Ethan had tried to discuss with her on numerous occasions. Her job at the ED was still open, Connie had emailed her to inform her, but she was still contemplating the opportunity of a fresh start somewhere no one new her history. She wasn't sure if she could bring herself to leave Cal and Ethan after all they'd done for her, the idea of leaving the rest of her colleagues who'd been stopping off to visit her on their days off was equally unappealing.

She realised as she sat there going over the pros and cons of leaving, that she'd made up her mind without even knowing it. She didn't need to run anymore, there was nothing left to hide from. Holby was the closest thing she'd had to a home in a long time and there was no way she could leave that behind. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and replied to Connie's email to let her know she'd be coming back as soon as she'd got her cast off, smiling to herself as she typed. Things were definitely looking up.

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><p>Around lunchtime Amy's phone started ringing, she hopped back through from the kitchen and snatched it up off the arm of the sofa. She'd been waiting for Cal to call and check up on her, she was amazed he'd lasted this long. "I'm fine you know, you don't need to keep checking up on me." She laughed, making her way back in to the kitchen to finish making her lunch.<p>

There was a long silence on the end of the phone. "Hello?" Amy frowned, wondering if she'd somehow lost her phone signal.

"So it's true then, you are alive." The voice on the other end of the phone made her blood run cold. She'd recognise it anywhere. "What's the matter Amy? Cat got your tongue?" He laughed.

Amy stood frozen to the spot in horror, the phone still pressed to her ear as she tried to calm her erratic breathing. "Sam." She whispered almost involuntarily.

"You sound so surprised." He laughed. "Did you honestly think I wouldn't notice that you were alive? I was keeping an eye on the news you see, waiting to see when they'd find you... Then, when I didn't see anything it suddenly occurred to me that maybe I hadn't quite finished the job."

Amy finally regained enough control over her body to wrench the phone away from her ear, ending the call before she pulled the battery out of the phone and tossed it in to the sink. Anything to make sure he couldn't call her again. This could not be happening.

* * *

><p>"Come on, pick up." Cal muttered under his breath, leaning against the desk as he waited for Amy to answer her phone. He'd tried her twice now and she still hadn't answered, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.<p>

"Is everything okay?" Ethan asked, coming up behind his brother who was looking unusually tense.

"Have you heard from Amy?" Cal asked, dialling the number again as he reached her voicemail. "She's not answering her phone."

Ethan shook his head. "I'm sure she's fine though, she's probably fallen asleep while watching Netflix with a tub of ice cream!" He joked, remembering how he'd found her when he got home from work the previous day.

Cal frowned. "I don't know, I've tried her three times and she's not answered."

"She'll be fine. You've only got what, two hours left on your shift? I'll try her again for you while I'm on my break but I wouldn't worry." Ethan said, attempting to reassure his brother.

Cal nodded, reluctantly walking away in search of his next patient. Ethan pulled out his phone as he watched his brother head back in to cubicles. "Amy, it's Ethan. Can you call me or Cal when you get this, we're worried about you." He left her a message quickly before returning to the files in front of him.

* * *

><p>Cal was out of the ED the second his shift finished, making it home in record time. Amy still hadn't returned any of his calls. Logically, he knew Ethan was probably right- the chances were she'd fallen asleep or her phone was out of battery- but he needed to see it with his own eyes to reassure himself.<p>

"Amy?" He called as he stepped through the front door. He heard a muffled groan from the direction of the kitchen. "Amy?" He called again, throwing his coat over the bannister and heading for the kitchen.

He pushed open the door to find her sat on the kitchen floor, leaning against the cupboards with a bottle of vodka in her hand. Silently he sat down next to her, watching her closely as he waited for her to speak.

When she made no attempt to offer an explanation he reached for the almost empty bottle, which she handed to him without argument. "You're drunk." He sighed, screwing the cap back on to the bottle.

A hint of a smile played on her lips. "Yeah.." She slurred, leaning her head against his shoulder.

"Are you going to tell me why?" He asked. "This isn't like you."

"Seems to help everyone else forget their problems... Thought I'd give it a try." She mumbled, starting to feel more than a little worse for wear.

"I'm going to need a little more to go on than that." He prompted. "Amy." He prodded her when she didn't answer, quickly realising she'd fallen asleep as she started snoring quietly.

"Cal?" He heard the front door open as Ethan arrived. "You could've at least waited for me! Where are you?"

"In the kitchen." Cal called in reply, his eyes flickering down to Amy to see if the noise might wake her up, which it didn't.

Ethan shot his brother a puzzled look as he stepped in to the kitchen. "Do I want to know?" He asked.

Cal held up the almost empty bottle, a look of realisation crossing Ethan's face. "Don't ask me why, I couldn't get any sense out of her."

"I'm not surprised." Ethan commented. "Come on, I'll help you get her on the sofa."

Cal nodded in agreement, helping his brother carry Amy through to the living room and laying her on her side on the sofa. "She's going to have the mother of all hangovers in the morning." He joked, heading back in to the kitchen. He frowned as he caught sight of Amy's phone in the sink. He fished it out of the water, turning around and holding it up to Ethan.

"Well, that would certainly explain why she wasn't answering her phone." Ethan commented, more than a little confused. "I'm kind of intrigued about what happened."

"You and me both." Cal sighed, his eyes resting on Amy's sleeping form as he tried to piece together what had happened.


	15. Chapter 15

_Sorry this is a little shorter than previous updates, hopefully you'll still enjoy it! Let me know what you think. If you've got any suggestions for things you'd like to see happen in this story, or maybe an idea for another story then let me know. I'd love to hear them :-)_

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><p>Amy squeezed her eyes shut tighter in an attempt to block out the light that came streaming in to the room as Cal opened the curtains. "Morning." He said sarcastically, sitting down on the arm of the sofa. "Or should I say afternoon."<p>

She groaned something totally incoherent at him, pulling the blanket up over her head.

Cal pulled the blanket back down, smiling in spite of himself as Amy swore under her breath, tentatively opening her eyes. "What do you want Caleb?" She croaked, her throat felt like sandpaper. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had a hangover quite that bad, it certainly wasn't an experience she wanted to repeat any time in the near future.

He raised an eyebrow at her use of his full name. "Feeling a little worse for wear today I take it? I'm not surprised."

Amy glared at him. "Thank you for pointing out the obvious."

Cal got up and disappeared in to the kitchen, coming back with some paracetamol and a glass of water that Amy quickly accepted. "Are you going to tell me why?" He asked, sitting down again.

She suppressed another groan, this was not a conversation she wanted to have. "Why what?" She asked, attempting to play dumb in order to avoid answering his question.

Cal shook his head. "Don't try and pretend that you don't know what I'm talking about. There's quite clearly something going on here, you don't end up drunk on the kitchen floor for nothing."

"Wow, quite the detective aren't you." She retorted sarcastically, rubbing gently at her forehead to try and soothe her headache.

"Why don't you just tell me what it is, I can help." He had to remind himself to stay calm, the last thing they needed was to get in to an argument.

Amy was silent for a long time, trying to find the right words to tell him. "I was..." She trailed off, unsure of where she was really going. Cal smiled at her encouragingly. "Does it really matter?" She knew he only wanted to help but she couldn't help but worry he might over react and do something stupid.

"Of course it matters!" His reply came out much harsher than intended. "What aren't you telling me?" He added much more softly.

"I didn't know what to do for the best. I thought maybe if I had enough to drink I could forget, just for a little while... That was all I wanted." She pushed herself upright so she was looking at him, trying to ignore the wave of nausea that came with the movement.

"I thought your nightmares had been getting better?" He asked tentatively, knowing it was something of a touchy subject.

"They have." Amy nodded.

"Then what's going on? You're going to have to spell it out for me because clearly I'm not getting something."

"I was going to leave. I thought I'd just pack my bags and leave you a note. I would've been long gone by the time you got home from work, could've started again. I thought maybe that was the best option for all of us, to just start over again. Then I realised that I didn't want to leave. Holby's the closest thing I've had to a home in such a long time..." She trailed off, smiling at Cal sadly.

"You are aware I still don't have a clue what's going on right?" Cal joked in an attempt to lighten the mood.

"Sam called me." She told him, staring down at her hands in an attempt to avoid seeing his reaction. She heard him inhale sharply, then there was a long pause before he said anything.

"Is that why your phone was in the sink?" He asked, his voice surprisingly calm. Amy nodded. "What did he say to you?"

Amy looked up at him reluctantly. "He knows I'm alive, he was keeping an eye on the news to see when they'd find my body." She whispered, she could still hear his voice in her ear and it made her skin crawl. "I can't live the rest of my life looking over my shoulder just waiting for him to turn up Cal."

"Did you call the police?" He asked, reminding himself to stay calm. "What was that woman's name? The one who was here the other day?"

"DS Brinkley, her number was in my phone."

"Oh...Right, okay... Well we can go to the police station tomorrow, after I finish work." He suggested.

Amy eventually nodded in agreement. "What if they don't find him Cal? I'm going to spend the rest of my life worrying every single time the phone rings or someone knocks on the door that it might be him. How am I supposed to live like that?"

"They'll catch him, you just have to have a little faith and let them do their jobs. They're good at what they do." Cal said reassuringly. "You can come in to work with us tomorrow if you don't want to stay here on your own. You'll be okay hopping around cubicles on your crutches. It might do you good? Besides we're so short staffed at the moment even Connie would be pleased to see you!"

"I don't know.." She'd been putting off going back to work, the idea of seeing her colleagues again was terrifying. The majority of them had been to visit her while she was in hospital, and she knew her fears of them all treating her differently were completely unfounded, but she still felt strangely anxious about the prospect.

"Have a think about it, you don't have to make a decision right now." Cal smiled, squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before getting up of the sofa. "I'd better get started on dinner before Ethan gets home- you were lucky you were still asleep this morning when he left... I don't know what is going on with him but he was not happy!"

Amy frowned, forcing herself up off the sofa and following him towards the kitchen. "If we're trying to cheer him up then I think I'd better do the cooking. The last thing he needs is food poisoning to top it off!" She joked, pulling open the fridge.

"There's nothing wrong with my cooking, you've never even tried it!" Cal protested.

"I don't intend to either! I thought you said you were going to go food shopping? There's hardly anything in here apart from beer!"

"I think I liked you better when you were asleep." He muttered under his breath, ducking as a towel came flying across the room at his head.

"I heard that."


	16. Chapter 16

Hey guys, sorry for the delay. It's been a hell of a week and it's taken me a little while to get myself in the right frame of mind to write this... Now that I've finally got it done I hope you enjoy it!

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><p>"Are you ready for this?" Cal asked, looking down at Amy who was leaning against the central workstation beside him.<p>

"I'm looking forward to it actually, I just want a nice quiet day in cubicles to ease myself back in." She smiled, her nerves about coming back to work had quickly subsided once she was surrounded by her colleagues again. Holby ED really did feel like home- she couldn't help but feel relieved she hadn't taken her usual course of action and left.

"Well you're in luck, it looks like it's pretty quiet in here today... Ow!" He glared down at her as she smacked his arm. "What was that for?"

Amy rolled her eyes at him. "Don't be so melodramatic, I hardly touched you! You and I both know the moment you say it's quiet in here all hell will break loose so keep your mouth shut!" She warned him seriously.

Cal shook his head at her, laughing as he walked away. "If you say so! Behave yourself today, we don't need you falling over and breaking the other leg." He warned, heading in the direction of resus as Amy pulled a face at him.

"It's nice to have you back Amy." Rita smiled, suddenly appearing beside her. "We were all worried about you."

Amy shifted uncomfortably, not knowing how to respond- this wasn't a situation she'd been in before. "Thanks Rita, I'm glad to be back." She said eventually. "I'd better get to work anyway, I've got a lot of time to make up for... What've you got for me?"

"Cubicle 2, fractured wrist." Rita handed her the piece of paper she'd been holding. "Robyn's already in there."

Amy let out a sigh of relief when it became clear Rita wasn't going to ask about what had happened. "Thanks Rita." She said, hopping off on her crutches in the direction of the cubicle.

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><p>The rest of the morning was a blur, the stream of patients seeming never ending. She'd have to remember to thank Cal for that, not that she'd actually seen him since they'd started work. "How's it going?" He appeared behind her, making her jump as his voice cut through her thoughts.<p>

"I was wondering where you'd got too." She laughed.

"Missing me already?" He joked cockily.

Amy rolled her eyes at him. "Quite the opposite actually, it's been nice to gave a few hours without you hovering over me and asking me if I'm okay... Anyway, don't make me laugh- I'm angry with you!" She tried to sound serious but the grin on her face betrayed her words.

"Oh yeah? And why would that be?" He laughed.

Amy glared at him, then pointed at the screen in front of him which showed the patients. "What did I tell you would happen as soon as you said it was quiet?"

"You're not blaming this on me!" He laughed, shaking his head as Amy's laughter ruined her attempt to look serious. "Come on, I was coming to tell you it's time for our lunch breaks."

Amy pulled a face at him, feeling suprisingly angry that he didn't seem to trust her to look after herself. "I'm quite capable of taking a break when I need one. I do not need you to babysit me." She snapped.

Cal held his hands up in mock surrender, raising an eyebrow at her tone of voice. "It was actually Zoe that sent me through here to make sure you took your break and didn't over do it, so please do feel free to go and yell at her about it."

Her expression softened considerably at his words. "Sorry." She mumbled, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment over how she'd spoken to him. "That wasn't fair of me."

Cal shrugged, his grin already back in place. "You can buy me a coffee and make it up to me." He laughed as they made their way towards reception.

"I can probably manage that, since you asked so nicely. You'll have to carry them though!" She joked, glancing down at her crutches.

"That's probably a good idea!" He laughed in agreement, holding the door open for her to hop through.

"Such a gentleman." She teased.

"I think that could be the first time a woman has ever called me that." He commented, causing Amy to raise an eyebrow.

"Come on, let's go get these coffees and then you can explain what you meant by that!" She called back over her shoulder as she made her way to Honey's shop.

They stood together, laughing and joking as Honey made their coffees, totally oblivious to the man standing in the corner of the waiting room, hidden underneath his hat, as he watched them furiously.

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><p>Sorry it's so short- I'd love it if you could let me know what you think :-)<p> 


	17. Chapter 17

"You look rather happy for someone who's been stuck in here all day treating minors." Ethan observed as he threw his piles of files down on the desk beside Amy. "Have I missed something?" He glanced around trying to work out what had put her in such a good mood.

"Nope." She smiled, looking up from the computer. "It's just been a good day that's all, pleased to be back."

Ethan followed her line of sight across to where his brother was standing, deep in conversation with a pretty blonde agency nurse, who's hand was now resting on Cal's arm. His heart sank as he looked back to Amy and took in her expression which had now darkened considerably. This was not going to end well.

Amy looked back down at the computer, her cheerful mood suddenly subsiding. She had no idea why, but the way that nurse was flirting with Cal bothered her far more than it should do. She attempted to remind herself that she had no right to be jealous. Cal and her were friends, nothing more. Besides, she'd have to be delusional to think someone like him would ever be interested in someone as messed up and damaged as her.

"Amy! Nibbles!" She looked up from the computer at the sound of Cal's voice, much to cheerful as he cast his eyes over to where the nurse he'd just been talking to was now speaking to a patient. "If I give you my car keys are you two okay going home on your own tonight? Something's come up." His eyes flickered back in the direction of the nurse as he spoke before glancing at Amy and Ethan.

_'Oh, I bet it has.'_ Amy though sarcastically, biting her tongue in an attempt to stop herself saying it out loud. She could feel Ethan watching her. "Doesn't make any difference to me." She answered cooly, continuing to stare at the computer screen ahead of her.

Ethan watched the look of confusion flicker across Cal's face at Amy's sudden change in tone. "Give me the keys then." He sighed, silently willing his brother to get the message. Usually his brother was the expert at reading women, but Ethan couldn't help but notice where Amy was concerned Cal seemed to have a tendency to misread the situation.

"Cheers bro!" Cal tossed the keys to him after a moments hesitation casting one last look at Amy, who was staring intently at the computer, before disappearing in the direction of the staff room.

Ethan shook his head and sighed, moving around the desk to stand behind Amy. "Do you need a hand with that?" He asked, leaning over to peer at the computer screen. "Our shift finished five minutes ago."

Amy shook her head quickly closing the Internet down, but not before Ethan had a chance to see that she was looking at flats. "You don't have to go just because of-" he started, but she cut him off.

"It's nothing to do with that." She argued quickly. "I'm grateful for everything you've done for me, really. But I need to move on with my life, I need my own space and have some kind of normality Ethan. I can't stay on your sofa forever." She flashed him a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, gathering her crutches and pulling herself upright.

"Okay." He agreed reluctantly. It was true, she couldn't stay on his sofa forever, but in some way the idea of her not being there felt odd. "Come on, let's get home. I don't know about you but I'm dead on my feet... You don't have to rush in to anything though, you're welcome to stay with us for as long as you like."

Amy nodded. "Thanks Ethan. Let's go, I'd forgotten how exhausting being here is." She laughed quietly. "I'm out of practice!"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you're ready to do this?" Ethan frowned. He and Amy were sat in front of the tv, she had borrowed his laptop and was scouring the Internet in an attempt to find a flat that was both within her budget and actually inhabitable- her budget was severely reduced thanks to the fact Sam had totally emptied their accounts and taken the little bit of money she actually had.<p>

Amy nodded, the frown on her forehead deepening further as she read the details of yet another flat. "I need to do this Ethan. My cast comes off next week and I'll be fine on my own. I need to start sorting things out, I feel like I'm in limbo- just sitting here waiting for something to happen. I need to start doing things."

He sighed. Cal was going to have some serious objections to her plans to leave, and it almost certainly wasn't going to be pretty when he found out. "Have you told Cal about this?" He asked hesitantly. The last thing he wanted was to end up in the middle of those two. He might disagree with Amy's decision, but he knew it wasn't his place to stop her. Cal on the other hand... Well, that was sure to be interesting.

Amy's eyes snapped up from the computer screen. "The last time I checked I didn't require your brothers permission to do anything." She replied, attempting to keep her anger in check. She had no idea where all this anger had come from, only a few hours ago she'd been sat in the staff room laughing and joking with Cal and now... Well, if she was honest she'd probably slap him if she was given half the chance. She thought he'd understood, but clearly not. Sam was right- maybe she was no messed up that no one would ever want her. She quickly attempted to push the thought out of her head. That was certainly not something she needed to be thinking about on top of everything else. She forced herself to focus on what Ethan was saying.

"...he can be a complete moron at times but his hearts in the right place Amy." Ethan paused, waiting for some kind of acknowledgment from Amy that she'd heard him.

Eventually she nodded. "This isn't about your brother Ethan. This is about me, and the fact that I want to get a flat and start putting what's left of my life back together okay?" She took a deep breath as she felt her anger start to rise again. "Can we just drop this, please? I'm tired. It's been a long day and I'd really like to get some sleep."

Ethan nodded, regarding her warily as he made his way to the door. "All I'm saying is don't make a rash decision that you're going to regret later in the heat of the moment. We've all been there Amy." He reached towards her shoulder, then quickly retracted it. The look she gave him suggested he might lose his hand if he dared to touch her. "Good night." He called back as he reached the door, casting one last look back in her direction.

"Night." She called softly in return, her anger dissipating as quickly as it came. She was jealous, that was the problem, and she knew she had no right to be. What she would give to be that nurse- Young, pretty and without a care in the world- out there enjoying herself. Instead she was sat on a sofa, alone, attempting to find herself somewhere to live and keeping her fingers crossed that her fiancee wouldn't come back for atTempt number two at killing her. She had to admit, things really hadn't turned out how she'd envisaged them when she was younger.

With a sigh she closed down the laptop and turned out the light, laying down in an attempt to get some sleep- although the likelihood of that happening while her thoughts were racing around her head were slim.


	18. Chapter 18

_Hey guys, sorry this has taken so long. I'm really struggling with my writing at the moment so I don't know when I'll get around to finishing this, but I'll do my best to make sure I do actually finish it. Thanks for sticking with me. X_

* * *

><p>Amy suppressed a groan as the sound of the front door being flung open echoed loudly around the house. It was 3am and she'd been trying to get to sleep, unsuccessfully, for quite some time. Cal's footsteps sounded incredibly loud in contrast with the silence of the house as he stumbled through the front door, thankfully not slamming it behind him. Amy laid still, trying to ascertain whether he was alone or not.<p>

"Cal!" She hissed as he came crashing through the living room door and turned on all the lights. She threw her arm across her eyes as the bright lights temporarily blinded her.

"Aaaamy!" He laughed, flopping down beside her.

"Shhh!" She scolded, conscious of the fact Ethan was sleeping upstairs- although if he'd managed to sleep through this it would be some kind of miracle. "You're drunk." She could smell it on him from a mile off. It was a smell she was all too familiar with thanks to Sam.

"Yep." Cal agreed with a laugh as he shrugged off his jacket. He hadn't gone out with the intention of getting drunk. One drink. That was all he'd agreed to, just to get that nurse off his back, she wouldn't take no for an answer. Sure, she was pretty and good fun, a few months ago he would've been more than happy to take her home- as she'd suggested to him several times over the course of the evening- but the idea just didn't appeal to him in the way it had used to.

"How much have you had?" Amy asked with a sigh. The smell of alcohol radiating from him was making her stomach churn slightly. It was bringing back all kinds of unwanted memories of Sam breathing down her neck. She made an attempt to force them out of her head, focusing her attention back on Cal. At least she could trust, that no matter how much he'd had to drink, he'd never hurt her.

"No where near enough." He muttered under his breath, he was sobering up much too quickly for his liking. "Sorry, I didn't mean to come in here and wake you up." He apologised, suddenly realising what time is was.

"I think you probably did, you came in here and turned all the lights on." She laughed gently. "I'm joking! I was awake anyway." She added when she saw the guilty look on his face.

"Sorry." He repeated. "Why are you awake at 3am anyway?"

She shrugged. "Couldn't sleep." She answered vaguely. She wasn't sure what it was that was keeping her awake anymore. There was the ever present worry that Sam could be out there somewhere, but as much as she hated to admit it the idea of Cal out with that nurse hadn't helped much.

"Because..." He prompted, forcing himself to focus on what she was saying, the effects of the alcohol were really beginning to catch up with him.

"I don't think you really need me to tell you all the shit that I've got going round in my head right now Cal." She sighed. "Go to bed."

He didn't move an inch, watching her warily. He was getting better at working out when she was trying to hide something from him. "Amy... I want to help."

"Don't start Cal, seriously." She snapped. "Go to bed, or go back out and find that nice blonde nurse- I'm sure she'd be more than happy to see you. Just leave me alone to get some sleep." It was unnecessarily harsh, but she wasn't in the mood to discuss this with him, especially while he was still more than a little drunk. She tried to remind herself that she had no right to be angry or jealous- of course he liked the pretty blonde nurse more than he liked her. He'd be out of his mind not to.

She still had to broach the subject of her moving out with him, she'd promised Ethan she'd tell him. As tempting as it was to tell him while he was drunk in the hope he might not remember she kept quiet, she wasn't ready to start a fight.

"Fine." He snapped in return, getting up from the sofa unsteadily. "If that's the way you want it to be."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes slightly at his childish tone of voice. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Had he been a little more sober he might've noticed the edge to her voice. "Whatever the hell you want it too Amy. I don't know." He told her as he made his way to the door, turning out the lights as he left and leaving her alone in the darkness once more.

After a few minutes had passed, and she realised he wasn't coming back, she laid down on the sofa and stared furiously in to the darkness. There was no way she was going to get to sleep now. How could she have been so stupid? She'd let herself get way too attached to him and now she was going to pay the price for it. Why had she ever even allowed herself to entertain the idea that he might feel the same way about her? She could think of a list of reasons longer than her arm why he'd never be interested in someone like her. She should've listened to that voice in her head- the one that told her she was too messed up, just like Sam had said. She'd never be good enough for him. It was never going to be some fairy tale ending where he saved her and then they lived happily ever after, who had she been trying to kid?

_Fairy tales don't exist Amy, welcome to the real world. _She could hear Sam's voice in her head as clear as day. Maybe for once in his life he'd been right about something.


	19. Chapter 19

"You left early this morning." Ethan commented, walking up behind Amy who was studying an X-ray closely. "This doesn't have anything to do with you trying to avoid my brother does it?" He questioned. The atmosphere between the two had been noticeably frosty.

Amy shook her head, not looking up from the X-ray. "I had an appointment to view a flat, I thought I'd told you about it."

Ethan shook his head. "If you'd said I could've driven you. How was it?"

"It was nice to walk now I'm finally rid of that cast." She smiled, glancing up at him. "It was okay, nothing fancy but it's affordable at least." She lied, the flat hadn't looked great in the pictures and it looked even worse in real life. It would be fine once she'd had a chance to clean it up, or at least she hoped it would, it was better than no where.

"So you're taking it then?" He asked, Amy nodding. "Have you told Cal?"

Amy stopped what she was doing and looked up at him. "Not yet, but then I haven't really spoken to him."

"Amy..." Ethan sighed, cal wasn't going to take kindly to her springing this on him when she'd already made her decision.

"Don't look at me like that Ethan. It's my decision where I want to live, not his." She snapped. "Excuse me." She picked up the iPad from the desk and headed back in the direction of her patients cubicle. Ethan was right- she was avoiding Cal. She'd hardly said two words to him, unless it was necessary for work, since that night he'd come in drunk. She was on edge, DS Brinkley had called and told her they were still no closer to finding Sam, and she was having the week from hell as far as work went. She was just waiting for Connie to call her in to her office and fire her- she almost certainly deserved it with all the mistakes she'd been making. Then there was the fact if she just ignored him she didn't have to deal with how she was feeling or have any awkward conversations.

She'd be moving out as soon as possible and maybe then things would go back to something vaguely resembling normality. It would make it a hell of a lot easier to keep things 100% professional when she wasn't living on his sofa.

* * *

><p>"Is everything okay in here?"<p>

Amy barely managed to suppress her groan on annoyance as the curtain to her right was pulled back. "Yes thank you Doctor Knight. I'm quite capable of doing my job without your input."

Cal frowned at her, his eyes wandering to the patient sat on the bed and the man beside her who was glaring at Amy.

Amy paused for a few moments, waiting for Cal to pull the curtain back across, but he stood his ground, watching her curiously as she turned back to her patient. "Mr Roberts. I'm taking your wife up to X-ray now so you can go and get a coffee and wait in reception." As the man opened his mouth to interrupt she cut him off. "That wasn't a suggestion."

Cal cringed slightly, he recognised the icy tone to her voice- it was how she'd been speaking to him recently.

"I'm going with my wife!" The man argued, glaring at Amy.

"No you're not." Amy argued. "Out. Now."

"Lofty!" Cal called, spotting the nurse coming towards them. "Would you mind showing Mr Roberts where he can wait while his wife has her X-ray?"

"Sure." Lofty smiled. "If you'd like to come this way?" He gestured towards the door.

The man glared at his Amy and then his wife before reluctantly following after Lofty. "The nurse will be with you in a minute." Amy smiled at her patient before turning to Cal, her icy expression returning quickly. "A word Doctor Knight."

She turned on her heel and marched off down the corridor, leaving Cal momentarily stunned before he rushed to catch up with her. He followed her in to the staff room, narrowly avoiding being hit in the face with the door as she slammed it closed behind her.

"Would you mind telling me what the hell that was about?!" She demanded furiously, glaring at him as she turned to face him.

"You first." He snapped in reply. "What the hell is going on with you?"

"Excuse me?" Her tone was incredulous.

"You heard me. I don't think I've ever heard you talk to a patients family member like that before. He wasn't being that unreasonable!"

"Are you trying to tell me I'm incapable of doing my job?" She asked angrily.

"All I'm trying to say is that you've got a lot on your plate at the moment. Why don't you take a break? I can finish treating your patient." He suggested

"So you are saying I'm incapable of doing my job!" She snapped back at him. "If you'd bothered to ask me what was going on before sticking your nose in where it's not wanted you'd know that the reason I was trying to get the husband away from her is because the story he's been trying to tell me and Rita about how she broke her arm doesn't add up. I was trying to get rid of him so Rita would have a chance to talk to her and find out what really happened."

She moved towards the door but Cal stepped in front of her and blocked her exit. "Amy." He said hesitantly, knowing she wasn't going to be happy with him. "Are you sure you're not maybe reading more in to this after everything that's happened?"

"Are you trying to suggest that I can't deal with this because of what Sam did to me?" She glared at him, hardly able to believe what he was saying.

"That's not what I meant and you know that!" He protested. "I'm just worried about you that's all."

"Since you seem to think I'm incapable of doing my job, take the patient if it's going to make you feel better. I'm sure you'll do a much better job than me." She snapped angrily. "When you go out there and actually examine her arm you'll find two very large bruises either side of the fracture which look like they could be from someone's hands- hardly consistent with the husbands story that the tripped and landed on her wrist while they were out shopping. Now if you'll excuse me." She stepped around him and yanked open the door, disappearing out in the direction of reception before Cal had a chance to say anything further.

She ignored Noel calling her name as she rushed past the desk and straight out of the exit. She needed some fresh air, space to think. Although she highly doubted Cal would come after her for round two- she'd been terrible to him, she knew that. After everything he'd done for her, he didn't deserve to be treated like that- but as much as she hated to admit it, it was easier to push him away than actually have to deal with her feelings and confront them. Taking a couple of deep breaths she closed her eyes and leant her head back against the wall and enjoying a few minutes peace.

"Hey." Cal said warily, leaning against the wall beside her.

"I'm so sorry." She apologised quietly, opening her eyes and glancing across at him. "I shouldn't have taken it out on you."

He shrugged. "Better me than the patients husband. Connie would've killed you."

"She's probably going to kill me anyway. I haven't exactly been on top of my game recently." She sighed.

He shook his head. "She might not show it but she understands, everyone does. You can't just expect to go back to normal."

"I don't think I've ever been normal." She joked. "I think you might've been right though- I can't do it. I took one look at that woman and the way her husband was hovering over her, not letting her get a word in edge ways, and I just saw the way Sam used to be if I ever had to go to the hospital. I never even considered another explanation."

"It's understandable. For what it's worth I've had a look at her arm and I think you're right, the story just doesn't add up. It doesn't necessarily mean it was anything to do with her husband, but Rita is in there talking to her now so if it was then she's got the opportunity to ask for help." He smiled reassuringly at her. "You made the right call."

"I don't know about that." She muttered under her breath. "Can you take this one? I don't think it's a good idea for me to carry on with it,"

"Sure." He nodded.

"Thanks Cal. I'm sorry I've been such a bitch... You didn't deserve any of it."

He laughed. "You can buy me a drink later to make up for it... Come on we'd better get back before Connie comes after us. She'd probably love an excuse to fire me!"

"You go in." She smiled. "I'll be there in a minute. I haven't had a break all day." Cal nodded, turning and disappearing back in to the ED as Amy leant her head back against the wall.

"Well well, I always said you spent more time flirting with doctors than actually working." Her eyes snapped open at the sound of his voice. Looking to her left she felt her stomach churn with fear.

"Sam." She whispered his name in horror, praying this was just going to be another nightmare.

"Don't look so surprised." He grinned. "If you hadn't hung up on me I would've told you I was coming to find you. You see I've been here a while, watching you and him... Did you really think it was over?"

Amy looked around frantically, trying to find someone who could help her. This could not be happening.

"Shhhh." He pressed his finger over her mouth to keep her quiet. She could feel his breath on her face and it was making her feel sick. Her heart was pounding in her ears as she looked in to the face that had been haunting her nightmares for months. "Now then, you're going to come with me like a good girl and then no one will get hurt. Okay?"


	20. Chapter 20

"I've got to say I was surprised to find you'd stuck around here." Sam commented as he pulled her along by the arm. "Is it that doctor? Is he the reason you stayed? I would've put good money on you being at the other end of the country by now."

"And that's why you were always losing my wages at the bookies. You've never been good at placing bets." She snapped in reply, regretting it as his fingers dug in to her arm.

"Watch your mouth." He hissed under his breath as he dragged her through the car park.

"Or what?" She asked sarcastically, making an attempt to pull her arm free from his grip. She'd forgotten how strong he was.

"I think you can probably remember what happened last time you argued with me and believe me Amy I wouldn't hesitate to do it again." He smirked, coming to a stop beside a silver bmw. "Get in." He ordered.

"Where the hell did you get this?!" She demanded, looking at the car and then back at Sam.

"I think that's the least of your worries. I said get in." He opened the door and shoved her in, slamming it shut behind her.

Amy cringed as her head smacked in to the door frame. She caught sight of a bag of her clothes on the back seat. He'd been in Ethan and Cal's house- the thought made her blood run cold. It had been her safe place, somewhere that held no memories of Sam, and now that was gone.

She flinched as Sam opened the door and climbed in to the drivers seat, watching her out of the corner of his eye as he put the keys in the ignition and started the car.

"Where are we going?" She demanded, reaching for the door handle although she already knew it would be locked.

"You don't need the details." He said, driving the car towards the exit of the car park. He glanced over at her quickly. "What was it you always used to say? We'll go somewhere new, start over- a clean slate?"

She recognised those words well, she couldn't remember how many times she'd said them. "I don't want to go and start over again with you Sam."

He laughed quietly. "Do you honestly think I care about what you want?"

Amy stared out of the window, her hands gripping the edge of the seat tightly, as the car began to accelerate away from the hospital. "You can't seriously believe you're going to get away with this. I'm supposed to be working, my friends are going to be looking for me, the police are looking for you! If you just stop the car now and let me go we can pretend this never happened." She pleaded.

"I forgot to thank you for the fact I've spent the last few months running from the Police." He retorted sarcastically.

"What did you think was going to happen Sam?! You nearly killed me!" She asked furiously, glaring at him.

"You always have had a tendency to be a bit over dramatic." He snorted. "That was your own fault Amy- you were asking for it."

Amy was left speechless for a moment, her mouth hanging open as she attempted to find the words. "You think I asked for it?" She stuttered eventually. "You think I came home from work every night and got in your face and deliberately wound you up so you'd hit me? Are you honestly so deluded that you think I wanted that? I hated coming home to you every night, wondering what I was going to find on the other side of the door. Do you know how many times I nearly packed my bags and left while you were passed out drunk?"

Sam laughed, turning the car on to a small side street. "I'm the one that's deluded? If you hated me that much then why did you keep coming back? I never forced you to stay Amy. You kept coming back because you wanted to!" He turned to face her as he parked the car at the side of the road.

He got out of the car and walked around to the passenger side, pulling open the door and grabbing her by the wrist. As she attempted to pull her arm free off his grip it suddenly dawned on her why the street looked so familiar- they were parked infant of her new flat. "You followed me!" She hissed angrily as he yanked her out of the car. She fought back a cry of pain as he twisted her arm around,

"The lock on the front door is broken by the way, you might want to get that fixed." He commented as he pulled her towards the door and let himself in. He carried on, pulling her up the stairs to the flat.

He pushed her through the door and closed it behind him, leaning against it. Amy turned to glare at him, her earlier fear of what he might do to her had all but vanished. Furious did not accurately describe the level of anger she felt towards him in that moment. "What the hell do you want from me Sam?!" She yelled angrily, pacing back and forth across the room. "What are you trying to achieve by all this?"

"You're going to listen to me first of all." He told her, walking towards her and reaching for her arm which she angrily snatched away from him.

"Like hell I am!" She hissed. "Goodbye Sam." She went to push past him, making a beeline for the door. She was fairly sure she could outrun him, there was no way she was going to stay and hear him out.

She'd only taken two steps towards the wall before he grabbed hold of her, shoving her backwards in to the wall with enough force to wind her. "That wasn't a request Amy." He said angrily, pinning her hands above her head as she attempted to claw her way free from him. "I tried to be reasonable, I brought you here so we could have a discussion but you're not making it very easy for me."

She could see it in his eyes, that look of anger, that had always made her so fearful of him. She couldn't help feel a little sad as she looked at him, the man she was staring at wasn't the same person she'd fallen in love with, she'd always wondered what had gone wrong- what it was that had turned him in to the person he was today. She ignored the little voice in the back of her head that was trying to tell her maybe she was responsible. This was not the time to be having those kind of thoughts.

"What do you want me to do Sam? Get down on my knees and beg you to forgive me?" She asked sarcastically. "Because I can tell you now I'd die before that happened." She struggled again, trying to free her hands from his grip with no success, he'd always been able to over power her.

"What do I want you to do?!" Even beneath the sarcasm she could still hear the anger in his tone, reminding her she was skating on thin ice talking to him like that. "How about wind the clock back and not kill my mother!" He yelled.

"That wasn't my fault and you know that!" She snapped back at him. "I did everything I did for her and I wish it had been enough I really do, but you can't hold me responsible for what happened!"

"Nothing's ever your fault though Amy is it? Perfect little Amy... What would your mother say if she could see you now? I've lost everything because of you!"

"You've lost everything?!" She yelled at him, outraged. "I've lost my family, my friends, so many jobs I've lost count! I can't sleep at night, my body is covered in reminders of what you did to me Sam- I'll never be able to forget what you've done to me. I can't trust anyone anymore, even the nicest of people, because I look at them and all I see is the person you used to be and the person you've become!" She was vaguely aware of the tears she could feel sliding down her cheek.

Sam was quiet for a few moments, then the smirk she recognised so well slid back in to place. "An Oscar worthy performance, well done Amy... Always playing the victim aren't you?" He laughed quietly, twisting her wrist in a way that made her cry out in pain. "Is that the little sob story you've been telling that doctor of yours? Making him think I'm some kind of monster?"

"You are a monster." She spat, clawing at him with her nails again as her desperation to get away increased. "After everything you did to me I still felt sorry for you. I managed to make excuses for you, convince myself that you didn't mean to hurt me... So yeah, maybe I am delusional after all!"

Her words left him silenced for a few seconds and she made the decision to seize the opportunity to escape. She yanked her arms back down with all of her strength at the same time as kicking him in the stomach, the force of the blow left him doubled over in pain. Shoving him backwards she rushed for the door, fumbling with handle as she tried to force the door open. She suddenly remembered the state agent struggling with it that morning.

"Going somewhere?" She could feel his breath on her neck before he grabbed her by her shoulders and shoved her back up against the wall, punching her in the stomach when she tried to fight her way free from him. "All I wanted to do was have a reasonable conversation with you, but if this is the way you want it then I'm okay with that." He smirked at her, raising his fist again.

She fought back a cry of pain as he hit her again, not wanting to give him the satisfaction. How could she have been so stupid? Why had she not fought him off outside the ED when someone might have seen and come to rescue her? He'd known she wouldn't do that, she was so used to doing whatever it took to stop him causing a scene he'd known she'd just follow him.

Forcing herself to focus on something other than the feeling of blood dripping from her forehead, she gathered all her energy together, landing another kick in his stomach. As he bent forward in pain she lunged at him, knocking him to the ground, his head hitting the floor with a sickening thud that made her wonder briefly if she'd knocked him unconscious.

She didn't hang around to find out the answer. She ran for the door again, yanking at the door while silently praying it would open. Thankfully, it eventually swung open and she rushed out without so much as a backwards glance in Sam's direction. Her only thought was getting out of there, if he caught up with her she was dead.

Running down the steps and out of the front door of the building she spotted the alleyway the estate agent had pointed out to her that morning which cut more or less straight through to the hospital. She ran across the road without bothering to check if there were any cars coming, her lungs burning as she forced herself to keep running.

After what seemed like an eternity, but was actually only a few short minutes, she found herself in the car park, staring at the entrance to the ED as she tried to catch her breath. She couldn't resist the urge to check over her shoulder as she walked towards the door unsteadily.

She kept her head down as she walked back in, shivering as the warm air hit her. She headed straight for the toilets in the hope of having a few minutes to compose herself before anyone saw her.

"Amy! There you are!" She heard Zoe's voice behind her and quickly ducked in to the toilets in an attempt to avoid her. "Amy! Where have you been, Connie's-" Zoe followed after her, her sentence stopping abruptly as she caught sight of the younger doctors reflection in the mirror. "What happened?" She asked, her eyes taking in Amy's disheveled appearance and the blood smeared down the side of her face.

Amy cringed away from her as Zoe extended a hand towards her. "Don't, please." She whispered, desperately blinking back the tears that were selling in her eyes. The realisation of what had happened sinking in. "I'll be fine, please. Just give me a minute."

Zoe lowered her hand and shook her head. "You're not fine Amy." She frowned. "Come on, come with me so I can look at your head?" She suggested.

Amy raised her hand up to her forehead, looking at her blood covered fingers in surprise. She'd almost forgotten about that, she'd been so focused on getting away nothing else had mattered. "I... I just... Um..." She struggled to form a coherent sentence.

"It's okay, come on." Zoe smiled reassuringly, pulling the door open. "You don't have to explain anything right now. Let's just get you cleaned up."

Amy stepped forward, following Zoe out of the toilets and in the direction of cubicles silently. Her mind was racing as she tried to process what had happened. "You need to send an ambulance to the heights, flat 4." She said quietly as Zoe pulled the curtains closed around the cubicle. "Just... Just tell them to take him to Saint James' and I should probably call the police too." She told her, sitting down on the bed.

Zoe nodded. "Do you want to tell me what happened?" She asked, reaching towards Amy's forehead.

She cringed away from Zoe's touch, shaking her head quickly. "You said I didn't have to explain." She reminded her. "Can you just go and call them? I need a minute."

Zoe hesitated for a moment, watching her warily before she nodded. "I'll be back in five minutes. Don't go anywhere okay?"

Amy nodded in agreement, relaxing her head back against the bed as Zoe pulled the curtain closed behind her. Once she was alone she finally allowed the tears she'd been struggling to hold back to fall, her breath catching in her throat. He'd been there, following her around for god knows how long and she hadn't noticed. He'd been in Cal and Ethan's house... The thought made her feel sick.

She quickly wiped her eyes as the curtain was pulled back. Zoe smiled at her sympathetically. "They're sending an ambulance and the police round there now. Can I have a look at your head now?" She asked, pulling on a pair of gloves.

Amy nodded, not trusting herself to speak without bursting in to tears, as Zoe leant over the bed to look at her forehead. She felt her whole body tense as Zoe gently cleaned the blood off, earning her another sympathetic smile. "It's going to need a couple of stitches but it doesn't look as bad now I've cleaned it up."

Amy let out a breath she hadn't realised she was holding. "Thanks Zoe." She mumbled.

"Any other injuries I should know about?" Zoe asked, pulling off her gloves. Amy quickly shook her head- other than a few scrapes and bruises she'd been incredibly lucky. "Okay, well I want you to stay put okay. I'll come back to stitch that in a little while, I just need to go and find Connie first."

Amy nodded, her stomach tightening with anxiety at the thought of Connie. She want going to be happy with her. "If you see Cal can you tell him where I am?" She asked as Zoe pulled back the curtain. She was in desperate need of a friendly face to tell her she'd done the right thing.

"Of course. Now stay put, I won't be long." Zoe smiled, disappearing out of the cubicle and leaving Amy alone with her thoughts. How was it possible that after all Sam had done to her she still felt guilty about hurting him?

* * *

><p><em>Apologies for how long this is, I tried to split it down in to slightly smaller chunks but I got a bit carried away. The next part should be up fairly soon, this isn't the last you'll see of Sam!<em>


	21. Chapter 21

"What happened?" Cal asked, bursting in to the cubicle fifteen minutes later. "Are you okay?" He bent down in front of her and studied her face closely, his fingers reaching out and gently inspecting the cut on her forehead.

"Nothing a couple of stitches won't fix." Amy attempted to joke but her tone was flat.

Cal frowned, straightening up. "Let me go and get a couple of things and I'll sort that out for you." He smiled, gesturing to her head. He turned and disappeared out of the cubicle before Amy got the chance to protest. She relaxed back against the pillows with a sigh, knowing there was very little point in arguing with him.

A few minutes later Cal reappeared, pulling the curtain closed behind him. "So then." He said, pulling on a pair of gloves. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" He asked lightly. There were about a million different scenarios running through his head as to what could've happened and he was praying the truth was no where near as bad as he was thinking.

"I think I might wait until you're finished." She joked, gesturing to her head, with a small smile.

Cal visibly relaxed at her joking tone of voice. "That might not be a bad idea. Don't want you to end up looking like something out of a horror movie do we?"

Amy laughed quietly, but it sounded forced, something that hadn't gone unnoticed by Cal. He didn't push the subject any further, focusing on her head in silence.

* * *

><p>"So then..." He said, pulling off his gloves and tossing them in to the bin. "Are you going to tell me what happened?" He moved to sit on the bed next to her.<p>

"There was a bit of an incident with Sam." She mumbled, looking down at her hands as she heard his sharp intake of breath.

"What do you mean an incident?" He asked, trying to keep calm.

Amy peered up at him, blinking back a few tears that were beginning to well in her eyes. "He showed up outside, just after I told you I'd follow you in. He's been here for weeks, watching us. He took me to the flat I went to look at this morning... I don't know why I didn't fight him..." She trailed off.

Cal bit back a comment about her planning to move out without telling him. This was not the time for that argument. "It's okay." He told her reassuringly. "What happened next?"

"We fought." She admitted, her voice barely a whisper. She leant in to him as he put an arm around her comfortingly. "He wanted me to go with him and I said no. I thought he was going to kill him."

Cal was grateful that she couldn't see his face in that moment, he was furious and desperately trying not to show it. "Then what happened?" He prompted.

"I managed to fight my way free and I just kept running until I got back here. I was so scared he was going to catch up with me." Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled to keep control of her emotions.

"Where is he now?" Cal asked. His voice was deceptively calm but Amy knew him well enough to tell he was furious, even if he wasn't showing it.

"Saint James." She told him. "He came off a lot worse than I did."

Cal smiled, his anger momentarily forgotten. "Remind me never to get on the wrong side of you!"

Amy smiled, then it quickly faded as she remembered. "He was in your house." She whispered.

"What?!"

"He had all my clothes packed in a bag in the car. He'd broken in to get them." Her stomach churned slightly at the thought of what could've happened if Cal or Ethan had been home at the time. "I'm so sorry, I've caused you so much trouble." She felt awful about everything Cal and Ethan were having to deal with because of her.

"Don't worry about it." She could hear the smile in his voice. "I take it you've called the Police?"

"Zoe did." She nodded.

"Okay, good. Well why don't I go and get you a coffee and find Ethan so I can let him know? Then I'll see if I can persuade Connie to let me leave a little early so I can take you home." He suggested.

"Thanks Cal." She smiled. What on earth had she done to deserve him?

He removed his arm from around her and slid down off the bed, flashing her a quick grin. "Stay right there, I won't be long!" He instructed before disappearing out of the cubicle.


	22. Chapter 22

I'm not sure if anyone is still reading this, but if you are- sorry it's taken so long for me to update it. I started a new job last week and I've had very little time, or motivation to write. I'll try my best to keep going and get this finished soon.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour later Amy was jolted awake by Cal crashing back in to the cubicle. "Sorry." He said sheepishly. "If I'd known you were sleeping I would've left you alone."<p>

"It's okay." She said quickly with a small smile. If she was honest she was more than a little relieved to have been woken. Her sleep had been restless, haunted by images of Sam. "Did Connie agree to let you take me home?" She asked hopefully.

Cal grimaced slightly. Connie hadn't exactly 'agreed' to let him go, but Zoe had intervened and told him he could take Amy home. He was more than likely going to suffer the consequences of going against Connie the next day. "Sort of... Let's get out of here before she changes her mind!" He joked, holding out his hand to help Amy down off the bed.

"Thanks." Amy mumbled as stood in front of him. "For everything."

Cal smiled down at her. "I would say anytime, but I'd kind of like it if we could try and avoid tush being a regular thing!"

Amy laughed quietly. "Yeah, I don't plan on making a habit of it."

"Good to hear." He smiled. "Come on, let's get you out of here." He put an arm around her waist and gently led her in the direction of the door.

Amy kept her head down as they walked past reception, ignoring the curious looks she was getting from her colleagues. She could feel her cheeks flushing with embarrassment at the thought of someone finding out what had happened. Cal's arm tightened protectively around her waist as he sensed her discomfort.

They had almost made it to the doors when they heard Ethan calling their names. "Amy! Cal! Wait a minute!"

Amy came to a reluctant stop, turning around just as Ethan skidded to a stop in front of them. She rearranged her face in to what she hoped resembled a smile in an attempt to reassure Ethan she was okay.

"Are you okay? I just heard from Zoe!" His concern momentarily changed to a look of annoyance as he glared at his brother, before turning back to Amy.

"Sorry, I was coming to tell you. I got distracted." Cal apologised.

"I'm fine Ethan. Nothing to worry about. Cal's taking me home now." She told him, forcing a smile. She definitely didn't want to go in to the details of what had happened in the corridor of the ED. It would be halfway around the hospital in minutes, if it wasn't already. "We'll see you later, okay?"

Ethan frowned, exchanging a look with his brother that definitely had a hidden meaning- what it was Amy couldn't quite figure out. Eventually he nodded in agreement. "Okay. I'll see you soon."

Amy and Cal both nodded before turning back towards the door, Cal's hand returning to its place on the small of her back as he guided her towards the door.

* * *

><p>The short taxi journey home was spent in silence, Amy chewing nervously on her bottom lip. She could feel Cal watching her, waiting for her to crack, as she fought to keep her emotions in check. She could feel the anxiety forming in the pit of her stomach at the thought of going back in to the house. Sam had been there. It was no longer her safe place that held no memories of him.<p>

Cal quietly thanked the driver and paid him before helping her out the back of the taxi. He could see how tense he was, her face as white as a sheet as she stood at the bottom of the steps and looked anxiously up at the front door. They stood in silence for a few seconds, Amy sliding her hand in to his and squeezing it tightly as she took a hesitant step towards the door.

She was almost surprised to find that nothing looked any different when Cal opened the front door. She wasn't sure what she'd been expecting, but it just felt odd. The only thing that had changed was the fact all her stuff had gone. Cal squeezed her hand reassuringly, suddenly reminding her that she had a death like grip on his hand, as she surveyed the living room.

With no warning her eyes suddenly filled with tears as her emotions finally overcame her. Before she even knew what was happening she found herself sat on the sofa, wrapped in Cal's arms as he attempted to soothe her.


End file.
